Clinical study of patients with burning mouth.

Analysis and treatment of dental and medical factors that can cause burning mouth were performed in 25 consecutive patients according to a treatment protocol. The effect of the dental and medical treatment on the burning mouth was evaluated. The sick leave profile was presented. Apart from burning mouth symptoms, the patients reported several oral and general symptoms, such as gustatory changes, xerostomia, back and joint muscle pain, headache, and dizziness. The most common dental diagnoses were temporomandibular joint, masticatory, and tongue muscle dysfunction and lesions in the oral mucosa. The most common medical diagnoses were low serum iron and hypersensitive reaction to mercury. None of the patients tested exceeded the limit of 100 nmol Hg/l urine. Replacement of amalgam fillings was the most common dental therapy, followed by treatment of dysfunction in the masticatory system. Iron replacement was the most frequent medical treatment. The patients had over 50% more days per year sick leave than an age- and sex-matched normal population. A follow-up found that the burning mouth had disappeared in 32% of the patients. This study confirms the opinion that burning mouth is multicausal. Hypersensitive reaction to mercury was more frequent than expected, but replacement of amalgam fillings relieved burning mouth in only two of five such patients, and one of these two patients had hypersensitive reactions to both mercury and gold. One reason that so many patients continued to have burning mouth might have been neglect of dental, medical, or both diagnoses. Another reason might be that assessment of the psychologic status of the patients and psychologic treatment when indicated were not done.

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the United States in 1986: etiology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and dental implications.

The acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) results from a lymphotropic retrovirus (HTLV-III) infection and is characterized by specific opportunistic infections and malignancies. The virus is transmitted primarily by semen and blood. Infection is limited principally to defined risk groups, i.e., homosexual men and intravenous drug users. Head and neck manifestations include cervical lymphadenopathy and Kaposi's sarcoma. Oral manifestations include Kaposi's sarcoma, candidiasis, hairy leukoplakia, precocious periodontal disease, xerostomia, herpes simplex, recurrent aphthae, erythema multiforme, and venereal warts. Although HTLV-III is present in saliva, there are no reported cases of transmission secondary to dental procedures. Appropriate precautions and techniques are recommended in treating patients at risk for AIDS.