Sleep Disturbance in Patients with Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Case-Control Study

Aims: To examine sleep complaints in patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS) and the relationships between these disturbances, negative mood, and pain. Methods: Fifty BMS patients were compared with an equal number of healthy controls matched for age, sex, and educational level. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the Hamilton Rating Scales for Depression (HAM-D) and Anxiety (HAM-A) were administered. Descriptive statistics, including the Mann-Whitney U test and hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were used. Results: BMS patients had higher scores in all items of the PSQI and ESS than the healthy controls (P .001). In the BMS patients, a depressed mood and anxiety correlated positively with sleep disturbances. The Pearson correlations were 0.68 for PSQI vs HAM-D (P .001) and 0.63 for PSQI vs HAM-A (P .001). Conclusion: BMS patients reported a greater degree of sleep disorders, anxiety, and depression as compared with controls. Sleep disorders could influence quality of life of BMS patients and could be a possible treatment target.