1997 Volume 43 Issue 7 Pages 549-554
Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a chronic oro-facial pain disorder that is usually unaccompanied by mucosal lesions or other clinical signs. Glossodynia is defined as a burning sensation in the tongue from any cause. However, different studies have indicated that in about half of patients with glossodynia other intraoral locations are involved in complaints of pain. Therefore, BMS has been used to encompass a broader range of symptoms. Although many etiologic factors of BMS have been reported, the pathogenesis of this cordition is not fully understood. On the other hand, studies have documented an association between an elongated styloid process and cervicopharyngeal pain. This condition has been referred to as Eagle's syndrome or, stylohyoid syndrome.
To evaluate the association between the length of the syloid process and symptoms of BMS, we measured the length of styloid processes on panoramic radiographs taken from patients with BMS and control patients. Fifty women with BMS 40 to 75 years of age were enrolled from among patients with BMS who were being followed up at the Department of Oral Surgery, Nagoya University Hospital between 1995 and 1996. Fifty control patients were enrolled from among outpatients without symptoms of BMS who were matched for age. Patients were excluded if they had symptoms of temporomandibular disorder. The mean age in the control and BMS patients was 57.8 ± 8.9 and 59.3±9.8 years, respectively.
The following results were obtained:
1) The length of the styloid process increased with age in BMS patients, but there was no relationshipto age in control patients.
2) The number of teeth was significantly lower in control patients.
3) When intraoral pain affected three or more regions, the length of the styloid process was significantly greater in BMS patients. These patients had pain in the tongue and other regions. However, they had no symptoms(throat discomfort, otalgia, dysphagia)of Eagle's syndrome.
