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The patient was a 56-year-old woman who complained of chronic pain involving her tongue. We diagnosed her with burning mouth syndrome (BMS) based on exclusion of any local factors or systemic conditions. The patient not only had tongue pain but also had other signs and symptoms like scalloped tongue, dry mouth, and headache. To manage these additional issues, we used Goreisan, an herbal Kampo medicine, as a complementary alternative medicine (CAM) approach along with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The patient’s BMS was successfully managed with the combination of CAM and CBT, which may suggest that the pathophysiology for BMS might be nociplastic pain rather than purely nociceptive or neuropathic.

Keywords: Burning mouth syndrome; Psychogenic factor; Dry mouth; Kampo medicine; Nociplastic pain
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Copyright: © 2023 by the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology
Figure.
Figure.

Scalloped Tongue

Clinical photograph demonstrating the patient’s scalloped tongue. Teeth marks were observed on the lateral border of the tongue.


Contributor Notes

Address correspondence to Dr Ichiro Okayasu, Department of Dental Anesthesiology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan, 852-8588; okayasu@nagasaki-u.ac.jp.
Received: Jan 17, 2023
Accepted: Mar 14, 2023