ABSTRACT
Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) also called as stomatopyrosis, is an enigmatic disorder causing chronic pain of the intraoral soft tissues. It is a distinctive nosological entity including all forms of burning sensation in the mouth and described as stinging sensation or pain in association with oral mucosa that appears clinically normal in the absence of local or systemic diseases or alterations. The etiology of BMS is not known although a number of factors have been suggested. These include hormonal changes associated with menopause, allergic reactions, chronic low-grade trauma, genetic polymorphisms, psychosocial and personality disorders namely alexithymic traits, cancer phobia somatisation, obsession-compulsion disorders, etc. Among the proposed causative factors, psychological disorders have been frequently associated. These findings suggest a need for an interdisciplinary treatment which apart from dental therapy demands a certain kind of psychotherapy. A number of treatment modalities have been used, but they are found to be variable, unpredictable and outcome is often discouraging. Nevertheless, newer forms of therapy are being described in the literature. This presentation will highlight the various strategies employed in diagnosis and newer modalities of the treatment for such patients.