Thermography as a Non-Ionizing Quantitative Tool for Diagnosing Burning Mouth Syndrome: Case-Control Study

Abstract

Objectives: Thermography is an imaging technique based on the acquisition and analysis of thermal data. The present study evaluates the use of tongue infrared thermography (IRT) as a tool for the diagnosis of burning mouth syndrome (BMS). Material and methods: An IRT study was carried out in patients diagnosed with BMS according to the criteria of the International Association for the Study of Pain (n = 32) and in healthy controls (n = 35). Burning sensations, dry mouth and taste disturbances were assessed, and three temperature values were recorded for each tongue surface (dorsal, right lateral, left lateral and tip), along with body temperature and environmental temperature. Results: A statistically significant difference was recorded in the temperature of the dorsal surface of the tongue between the BMS group and the controls (p = 0.01). The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.731 (95% CI: 0.402–0.657; p = 0.003). The sensitivity and specificity obtained was 62% and 77%, respectively. Conclusions: Infrared thermography appears to be useful as a complementary tool for the diagnosis of BMS, though further studies are needed in this field.

Thermal Imaging of the Tongue Surface as a Predictive Method in the Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

“…Thirunavukkarasu, Xie, and Nicolas-Rodrigues have used thermography for the prognosis of general diseases like diabetes mellitus, anemia, and circulatory disorders. It has also been beneficial in evaluating conditions affecting the oral cavity, such as lichen planus and burning mouth syndrome [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 21 , 22 ].…”

“…Considering that the tongue is well vascularized and that its surface temperature reflects the internal temperature carried by blood flow, this organ is of significant clinical importance. Tongue temperature measured by IRT shows a correlation with patient age and sex, biochemical parameters, differential symptoms, and signs of disease [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 21 , 23 ].…”

Diagnostic Infrared Thermography of the Tongue and Taste Perception in Patients with Oral Lichen Planus: Case-Control Study

“…Infrared thermography (IRT) is a rapid, contactless and noninvasive alternative to the use of conventional clinical thermometers for monitoring body temperature. It has been successfully used in the diagnosis of breast cancer, diabetic neuropathy, peripheral vascular disorders, and in odontology [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27].…”

“…Tongue temperature is clinically useful, because the tongue has an abundant blood supply, and its surface temperature reflects the internal temperature, transmitted by the blood flow [22]. The temperature of the tongue measured by IRT shows correlations to patient age and gender, and there are also differences in temperature depending on the zone: the temperature is highest at the root of the tongue and gradually decreases towards the tip [22][23][24][25][26][27].…”

Optimization of Image Capture Distance for Facial Thermograms in Dentistry

“…The application of thermography in dentistry has been limited and has been generally employed primarily for the diagnosis of chronic orofacial pain and temporomandibular disorders [45][46][47][48][49], for studying inferior alveolar nerve deficits [50][51][52][53], and also as a complimentary tool detecting patients at risk for stroke [54]. Recently, other applications of thermography in dentistry include diagnosing burning mouth syndrome [55][56][57] and periapical lesions [58], as well as the assessment of the surgical removal of retained roots [59] have been cited in the literature. MIT might be a novel innovative tool that could be of interest in the screening of oral diseases in cognitively declined elders.…”