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Mouth Diseases

Burning tongue

06/10/2008 11:59AM

Question:

I am 60 years old and periodically I have a burning tongue which is very uncomfortable and can last for several days. After a visit to one ENT, he thought it might be a vitamin B12 deficiency but blood work ruled that out. It`s costly to keep going to additional doctors. Any suggestions of a possible cause would be helpful.

Answer:

There are many hypothesized causes of "burning mouth/tongue" syndrome. In some cases the etiology is linked with:

to list a few.

Classically the epidemiological profile of patients that are evaluated for BMS are post menopausal females, and some reports implicate hormonal factors and imbalances as an etiological risk. But, this problem is not specific for gender or age.

You were smart to see an ENT physician, to have this problem evaluated in order to rule out more serious problems that can cause BMS. Management of BMS can be complicated and you may only experience minimal abatement of the symptoms with medications (Tricyclic antidepressants or other centrally acting pharmacologic agents such as gabapentene, benzodiazepines or clonazepam). Again, most treatment modalities are only palliative, and in a majority of patients, symptoms wax and wane for years.

You may wish to discuss this situation with you dentist and have them evaluate your salivary flow and test for fungal infection, in addition to having your primary care physician evaluate your current medications.

Again most treatment is palliative and the problem in most cases gets better with time (or at least your perception of the problem becomes lessened).

For more information:

Go to the Mouth Diseases health topic, where you can:

Response by:

Case Western Reserve University Richard J Jurevic, DDS, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
School of Dental Medicine
Case Western Reserve University
Richard J Jurevic, DDS, PhD