Dopamine agonist responsive burning mouth syndrome: Report of eight cases

Abstract

BACKGROUND Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is characterized by burning sensation of the oral mucosa. There is a lack of effective treatment. In recent years, a special subtype of BMS has been reported, in which oral burning sensation is alleviated after chewing, speaking, or dopaminergic drug delivery. Currently, there are few reports about the subtype of BMS in China. This study was a retrospective analysis of the clinical data of BMS patients sensitive to dopamine agonist at our hospital, aiming to improve the recognition on this disease. CASE SUMMARY Eight patients diagnosed with dopamine agonist responsive BMS at the Liaocheng People's Hospital from January 1, 2017 to June 30, 2020 were recruited. The clinical manifestations, treatment, and prognosis were retrospectively analyzed. There were three male and five females in the eight patients. The median age was 56 years (range, 46-65 years). All the eight patients showed burning pain in the mouth. The symptoms were mild in the morning and severe in the evening, and alleviated after chewing, talking, and other oral activities. Four patients were accompanied by restless legs syndrome (RLS). Family history of RLS was positive in two patients. All patients were treated with pramipexol, and symptoms were basically relieved after 2-8 wk. CONCLUSION Dopamine agonist responsive BMS is a special subtype of BMS, which is alleviated after oral activities. Dopamine receptor agonist is an effective treatment.

Salivary metabolome indicates a shift in tyrosine metabolism in patients with burning mouth syndrome: a prospective case–control study

“…9 Such findings may support the use of therapeutics involving the dopaminergic system in BMS patients. Indeed, several authors have presented series of BMS cases with complete response to treatment with dopamine agonist (pramipexol) 16,24,85 or levodopa. 77 Nonetheless, salivary components do not necessarily reflect levels in the central nervous system, and this hypothesis should be cautiously interpreted.…”

Pain perception genes, asthma, and oral health: A reverse genetics study

“…Although a direct relationship between COMT and the phenotype of tongue disease has not been reported to date, the catechol-methyltransferase enzyme encoded by this gene acts on the degradation of catecholamines that play important roles in several physiological processes and consequently also in diseases. As an example, the dopamine responsive burning mouth syndrome, that is characterized by a burning sensation of the oral mucosa in the absence of clinically apparent mucosal changes, mainly affects the tongue [ 38 ].…”