The use of self-report questionnaires in an analysis of the multidimensional aspects of pain and a correlation with the psychological profile and quality of life in patients with Burning Mouth Syndrome: a case control study

Background: The symptomatology in Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) is complex and it should be considered in accordance with a biopsychosocial model. Objectives: To evaluate the multidimensional aspects of pain with a complete battery of tests and to analyse its relationship with potential predictors such as mood disorders, sleep and quality of life. Methods: 40 patients with BMS vs an equal number of age and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled. The VAS, SF-MPQ, BPI, PD-Q, BDI-II, STAI, PSQI, ESS, SF-36 and OHIP-14 were administered. Results: The scores of the VAS, SF-MPQ, BPI, PD-Q, BDI-II, STAI, PSQI, SF-36 and OHIP-14 were statistically significantly higher in the BMS patients than the controls (p < 0.001**). A strongly linear correlation between pain (VAS, SF-MPQ, BPI and PD-Q) and disease onset (STAI, BDI-II, PSQI and sub-items of SF-36 and OHIP-14) was found. In the multiple regression analysis, the contributions of the BDI-II and OHIP-14 were found to be statistically significant with the SF-MPQ, PD-Q and BPI in terms of severity and interference, while the contributions of the STAI and sleep were found to be statistically significant with the SF-MPQ and BPI in terms of severity and interference, respectively. Conclusions: Pain tests are differently correlated with mood and quality of life. Therefore, a complete analysis of the patient requires several tools to better understand the multidimensional aspects of pain in BMS.