Women are particularly affected by the condition - they are diagnosed with symptoms seven times more frequently than men. Age also play a role. People over 40 are among the group most likely to get BMS.

Burning mouth syndrome is partially characterized by a burning, painful sensation of the oral mucosa that most commonly involves the anterior tongue. The symptoms vary a lot, being over days, weeks or even months and years. Besides the physical symptoms, there is a huge psycological aspect to BMS as well.

Many precipitating factors to burning mouth syndrome have been proposed, and treatment addressing these factors has, so far, had limited success. This limited succes is what causes a lot of the psycological anxiety among BMS-sufferes because they will very easily feel helpless because the treatments and information offered are so limited.

BMS has remained an enigma for the treating clinician, because visible pathologic lesions or processes are usually not evident. Local, systemic and environmental causes must be assessed to elicit the predisposing factors.

For patients in whom no causative factor can be identified, empiric antifungal, nutritional, and estrogen replacement therapy can be initiated. If these fail, long-term therapy with antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and clonazepam can be considered. Topical capsaicin and laser therapy have been reported beneficial in a few patients. But working with the psycological symptoms are, in my view, one of the most important factors, because you'll might have to face, that this is something you'll have to live with for a long time yet.

But now it's time to change some of these bleek prospects... It is time for hope. So even if all your medical adventures have failed, like a lot of mine did, don't loose your hope just yet...

This site is devoted to bring experience and knowledge from person to person suffering from BMS. Regardless of geographic borders. BMS doesn't know high from low, black from white. We are all in this together.