A scientometric study on research trends and characteristics of burning mouth syndrome

Abstract

Background/purpose: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a chronic condition characterized by intraoral burning sensation and orofacial pain but without oral mucosal lesions. The purpose of this study was to analyze the scientometric characteristics and research trends of BMS. Materials and methods: All the papers on BMS were comprehensively retrieved from the Scopus database. The years of publication were divided into before 2015 and 2015–2024 in the analysis of research trends. Results: There were 924 papers on BMS, with total citations of 24,024 and the h index of 76. The related disorders of BMS were depression, xerostomia, pain, anxiety, glossodynia, taste disorder, nociception, paresthesia, analgesia, sleep disorder, diabetes mellitus, and neuralgia. Clonazepam was most common pharmacotherapy for BMS. After 2015, pharmacologic keywords including drug safety, aripiprazole, duloxetine, folic acid, hydrocortisone, and pregabalin were more frequent. Low level laser therapy, acupuncture, and cognitive behavioral therapy were the emerging nonpharmacologic strategies for BMS. Moreover, laboratory investigations on biomarkers, blood, genetics, interleukin 6, and tumor necrosis factor were more common. Various questionnaires, comorbidity, complication, anemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and sleep were also more concerned after 2015. Conclusion: This scientometric study elucidated the current scenario and research trends of BMS, and would help in improving in reciprocal collaboration and communication for investigations on this condition.

Keywords

• Burning mouth syndrome
• Bibliometrics
• Neurological factors
• Psychological factors
• Therapy strategy