Analysis of pain prognosis, medication efficacy, treatment willingness and influencing factors in patients with burning mouth syndrome: a cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the pain prognosis, medication efficacy and treatment willingness of patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS) and to identify the factors influencing the pain prognosis, medication efficacy and treatment willingness of patients with BMS. METHODS: Medical records of patients who were clinically diagnosed with BMS and who complained of oral mucosal pain at the Department of Stomatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, were retrospectively collected from January 2019 to April 2022. Telephone follow-ups were conducted in August 2024 to investigate the patients' pain prognosis, medication efficacy, willingness for treatment and related treatment information. RESULTS: Among the 192 patients, only 31.77% (61/192) reported complete elimination of pain; 37.50% (72/192) reported that the pain still existed but had improved, and 30.73% (59/192) reported no improvement at all. A total of 31.25% (60/192), 34.90% (67/192), and 32.81% (63/192) of the BMS patients evaluated medication efficacy as significantly effective, effective, or ineffective, respectively. Among the 131 patients who still had pain symptoms, 38.17% (50/131) intended to continue treatment. Logistic regression revealed that patients who were older (P = 0.023), who had visited multiple hospitals for treatment (P = 0.001), who were afraid of cancer (P = 0.011) and who were prone to anxiety or depression (P < 0.001) had poorer pain improvement. Patients who had visited multiple hospitals (P < 0.001) and those who were prone to anxiety or depression (P < 0.001) had significantly lower evaluations of medication efficacy. Males (P = 0.041) and those who had visited multiple hospitals (P < 0.001) were more willing to continue treatment. CONCLUSION: The prognosis for most BMS patients tends to be relatively poor. Age, anxiety or depression, and fear of cancer may affect the pain prognosis of patients with BMS, whereas psychological factors may also impact the efficacy of medication.