Burning mouth syndrome (glossodynia) is a painful disorder of the mouth. Other terminology for burning of the mouth is scalded mouth syndrome, burning tongue syndrome, burning lip syndrome, glossodynia or stomatodynia.
The pain attached to this syndrome may affect lips, gums, teeth, cheeks, tongue and back of the throat. In some cases, the pain may be severe and may feel as if the whole mouth has been burnt. The cause of burning mouth is unknown. However, that does not mean that the condition cannot be treated.

The symptoms of glossodynia include the following:
- A continuous burning sensation that affects the entire mouth
- Tingling sensation in the mouth and tip of the tongue
- Mouth pain that progressively gets worse during the day
- Feeling of a dry mouth sensation
- Increased thirst
- sore throat
- Loss of taste
The disorder is very variable in its presentation and different people have different patterns of symptoms. The pain may occur daily or it may occur only once a week. In some cases the pain may awaken up the individual from sleep. Sometimes the pain may last all day and in some cases it may come every week and then disappear for a few months. Whatever the symptom pattern, burning mouth often lasts for several years before a proper diagnosis is made. For the physician, the condition is hard to diagnose as there are no physical findings in the mouth or the tongue.
Underlying problems that have been linked to burning of the mouth include:
- Dry mouth
- Thrush or yeast infection
- Anxiety, depression
- Nutritional deficiencies (e.g. lack of iron, zinc, folate, thiamine, pyridoxine, cobalamin and riboflavin)
- Denture that place stress on gums
- Nerve damage
- Allergies to food
- Reflux
- Medications like phenytoin and ACEI
- Diabetes or underactive thyroid
- Menopause
- Excessive use of tooth brush or over flossing
- Drinking too many acidic beverages.
The symptoms usually start spontaneously but experts believe that certain factors can trigger the disorder like any recent dental procedure, an upper respiratory tract infection, use of medications, food allergy or an episode of emotional stress. Besides causing pain in the mouth, the disorder may also cause depression anxiety, difficultly socializing and irritability. The diagnosis of this disorder is difficult as there are no outwards signs. There is no one ideal method to treat this syndrome and the treatment depends on symptoms and severity. Since the condition comes and goes, it is very difficult to treat the patient.
The best options are use of lozenges which contain anti seizure medication like klonopin, oral thrush mouth washes, anti depressants, vitamin supplements, anti septic mouth washes, saliva replacement, and pain relieving agents. In addition, glossitis treatment means undertaking changes in life style measures like discontinuing smoking, avoiding hot and spicy foods, avoiding products that contain cinnamon or mint, and trying out different brands of toothpaste.
Burning of the mouth can be painful and annoying and take months before a diagnosis is established. However, in the mean time one should join a pain support group, engage in exercise, eat healthy and understand that burning mouth syndrome may suddenly disappear if you remain healthy.