Somesthetic, gustatory, olfactory function and salivary flow in patients with neuropathic trigeminal pain

Author(s)

Siviero, M. ^[1] ; Teixeira, M. J. ; de Siqueira, J. T. T. ^[2] ; Siqueira, S. R. D. T. ^[3]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Med, Dept Neurol, Orofacial Pain Team, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Med, Dent Div, Hosp Clin, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Arts Sci & Humanities, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ORAL DISEASES; v. 16, n. 5, p. 482-487, JUL 2010.
• Web of Science Citations: 27

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To determine somesthetic, olfactory, gustative and salivary abnormalities in patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS), idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (ITN) and trigeminal postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twenty patients from each group (BMS, ITN, PHN) and 60 healthy controls were evaluated with a systematized quantitative approach of thermal (cold and warm), mechanical, pain, gustation, olfaction and salivary flow; data were analyzed with ANOVA, Tukey, Kruskal Wallis and Dunn tests with a level of significance of 5%. RESULTS: There were no salivary differences among the groups with matched ages; the cold perception was abnormal only at the mandibular branch of PHN (P = 0.001) and warm was abnormal in all trigeminal branches of PHN and BMS; mechanical sensitivity was altered at the mandibular branch of PHN and in all trigeminal branches of BMS. The salty, sweet and olfactory thresholds were higher in all studied groups; the sour threshold was lower and there were no differences of bitter. CONCLUSION: All groups showed abnormal thresholds of gustation and olfaction; somesthetic findings were discrete in ITN and more common in PHN and BMS; central mechanisms of balance of sensorial inputs might be underlying these observations. Oral Diseases (2010) 16, 482-487 (AU)