Association of Burning Mouth Symptoms with Sleep Quality, Stress and Xerostomia in Middle-Aged and Elderly Patients - a Systematic Review.

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a long term syndrome of oral pains that is prevalent among the middle aged and the aged people. It is usually associated with poorly understood symptoms, including sleeping difficulties, psychological stress and xerostomia (dry mouth). The objective of the systematic review was to establish the association between the burning mouth symptoms and sleep quality, stress and xerostomia, through a systematic review of the literature at hand. A thorough electronic database search was carried out leading to the identification of 10 eligible studies, according to a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results showed that BMS is closely linked with low sleep quality, high levels of psychological distress and perceived dry mouth, which may lead to a multifactorial interaction, which determines the extent of symptoms and the quality of life of patients. This research paper is added to the scientific literature as it summarizes existing evidence and emphasizes the need to thoroughly assess and treat patients with BMS using multidisciplinary approaches.