Prevalence of some oral complaints and their relation to oral health variables in an adult Swedish population

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine, in a randomly selected 20- to 70-year-old Swedish population, the prevalence of oral burning sensations and taste disturbances and their possible correlation to salivary factors, the presence of mandibular dysfunction, the prevalence of teeth, restorative procedures, caries and periodontal disease, and smoking habits. Of a total of 533 dentate individuals, 112 reported a total of 139 symptoms. Eleven of the 40 edentulous individuals reported a total of 14 symptoms. Burning sensations were reported by 18 (3.4%) of the dentate and 1 (2.5%) of the edentulous individuals. The symptoms of pricking and burning were significantly correlated to mandibular dysfunction and negatively correlated to the number of teeth. The symptom of bad taste was correlated to the number of amalgam-filled surfaces and to cigarette smoking. No other statistically significant correlation could be found.

Key Words:

• Burning mouth syndrome
• epidemiology
• oral
• taste disturbances