抄録
Glossodynia is a clinical condition chiefly characterized by a painful tongue. It is reportedly associated with psychosomatic medical factors but patients with this condition are likely to visit departments of dentistry and oral surgery.
The subjects of this study were 50 patients who were clinically diagnosed as having glossodynia at our department during a 4 -year period from March 1993 to February 1997.
The patients ranged in age from 29 to 82 years (mean age 56.5 years), with those in their 50s and 60s accounting for 66% of the study population. The study population consisted of 5 males and 45 females, showing female predominance as reported by other authors (maleto-female ratio 1: 9). Of the 50 patients, 19 (38%) had been referred to our department: 16 by dentists, 2 by internists, and 1 by a neurosurgeon. Smarting was the most frequently reported kind of pain. The pain was located in the lateral margin of the tongue in 18 patients (36%), dorsum in 12 (24%), and tip in 8 (16%). Systemic factors that may predispose a patient to glossodynia include nutritional imbalance, such as iron or vitamin deficiency, and hormonal imbalance. 16 patients (32%) had cancerophobia and 13 of 20 female cases (65%) had experienced gynecological surgery under general anesthesia in the past, so psychological factors, such as anxiety and cancerophobias, may have played a significant role. Many patients were treated by psychotherapy and medication. Remarkable responses and changes were observed in 29 out of 50 patients.
