The Relationship between Pain Perception Scale and Keratinization Rate of Oral Mucosa to Nd-YAG Laser Stimulation in Burning Mouth Syndrome Patients

구강작열감 증후군 환자에서 Nd-YAG 레이저 조사에 대한 구강점막 부위의 통증 인지도와 점막세포 각화도와의 관계

  • Kim, Ji-Yeon (Dept. of Oral Medicine, School of Dentistry, Chonnam National University and CNU Dental Science Research Institute) ;
  • Kim, Byung-Gook (Dept. of Oral Medicine, School of Dentistry, Chonnam National University and CNU Dental Science Research Institute) ;
  • Chung, Sung-Su (Dept. of Anesthesiology, School of Dentistry, Chonnam National University and CNU Dental Science Research Institute)
  • 김지연 (전남대학교 치과대학 구강내과학 교실, 전남대학교 치의학 연구소) ;
  • 김병국 (전남대학교 치과대학 구강내과학 교실, 전남대학교 치의학 연구소) ;
  • 정성수 (전남대학교 치과대학 마취과학 교실, 전남대학교 치의학 연구소)
  • Published : 2001.06.30

Abstract

In order to determine how oral mucosal change relates to inducing factors of burning mouth syndrome, the difference in pain perception scale and keratinization rate between burning mouth syndrome patients and normal subjects were investigated. Twenty patients (13 female, 7 male, mean age: 59 years), presenting in the Department of Oral Medicine, Chonnam National University Hospital were participated in this study. All subjects had been complaining of constant oral burning pain for more than a year, none took any strong analgesics, and none had oral mucosal lesions. Twenty volunteers (11 females, 9 males, mean age: 25 years) were also participated in this study as a control group. The control subjects had never had any symptoms of oral burning pain. A thermal stimulation using a Nd-YAG laser and cytological smear were carried out to anterodorsal part of tongue, tip of tongue, the left buccal mucosa, the lower lip mucosa and the chief complaint site. Stimulation of the dorsum of left hand was also carried out to contrast the mucosal area of burning mouth syndrome subjects and the control subjects. The laser output power could be adjusted from 0.75W to 4W. The pain perception scale of the burning mouth syndrome subjects were lower than in control subjects in the chief complaint area, the anterodorsal part of tongue and the buccal mucosa(p<0.01). The keratinization rate of burning mouth syndrome subjects, however, was higher keratinization rate than in normal subjects in the same area and lower lip mucosa(p<0.001). From above results, the anterodorsal part of tongue is the most appropriate site to use diagnostic laser stimulation. The higher level of keratinization and the lower level of thermal pain perception of the burning mouth syndrome subjects are explained as a protective mechanism against xerostomia and burning sensations. The application of Nd-YAG laser stimuli and cytological smear to oral mucosal surface could therefore be usefully employed as appropriate and standardized diagnostic tools for chronic orofacial pain subjects.

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