REVIEW   

Minerva Dental and Oral Science 2022 August;71(4):233-41

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-6329.22.04647-2

Copyright © 2022 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Salivary characteristics in burning mouth syndrome: a systematic review

Juan AITKEN-SAAVEDRA ^{1, 2}, Sandra B. TARQUINIO ³, Matheus KINALSKI ⁴, Daniela HAUBMAN ², Marcella W. MARTINS ², Ana C. VASCONCELOS ³ ✉

¹ Department of Oral Pathology and Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile; ² School of Dentistry, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil; ³ Diagnostic Center for Oral Diseases, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil; ⁴ Faculty of Dentistry, Community University of Chapecó, Chapecó, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: Compare through case-control studies, the salivary characteristics of patients with and without BMS.
EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Searches in Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane, and BIREME were conducted for the identification of case-controls studies reported.
EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Thirty-three studies were included, of which 26 articles evaluated OSB, 17 SRF, and 7 SE. Nineteen organic biomarkers showed higher levels in BMS patients, the two most indicated being α-amylase and cortisol. Ten organic biomarkers, including Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α) and IL-6, showed lower levels in BMS patients. Regarding salivary flow rate (SFR), five articles indicated that BMS patients have less unstimulated SFR (uSRF)Two articles indicate that stimulated SFR (sSRF) is lower in BMS patients nevertheless, but eight did not show differences. Sialochemical analysis revealed that sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), potassium (K), sodium (Na), and calcium (Ca), showed higher levels in BMS patients according to three studies, but two studies did not establish any differences. Two study established that BMS patients have lower Mg salivary levels.
CONCLUSIONS: Qualitative salivary characteristics suggest that BMS has neuropathic, inflammatory, emotional, immune, and hormonal involvements. BMS can be associated with changes in salivary biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress, is related to anxiety and degree of pain.

KEY WORDS: Burning mouth syndrome; Biomarkers; Saliva; Xerostomia