Thermal sensory and pain thresholds in the tongue and chin change with age, but are not altered in burning mouth syndrome.

Background: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a chronic orofacial pain syndrome that occurs in middle-aged and postmenopausal women and poses a therapeutic challenge to dermatologists and dentists. It has been suggested previously that BMS is a small-fiber neuropathy.

Aims: This study was designed to examine thermal sensory and pain thresholds in the oral mucosa and chin, both innervated by the trigeminal nerve, in patients with BMS, as well as in healthy controls.