Comparative analysis of Burning Mouth Syndrome Treatment using Low Power Laser (LTTP) and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation System: a randomized clinical trial

Introduction: The management of patients with chronic burning mouth is a challenge in the dental clinic. Objective To compare the efect of photobiomodulation (PBM) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in the treatment of burning mouth. Materials and methods Randomized clinical trial of 25 patients with burning mouth treated by TENS (n=12) and PBM (n=13). The patients were treated weekly for 8 weeks. Two-factor ANOVA was used to determine whether the two interventions promoted signifcant diferences in symptoms (measured with a visual analogue scale), unstimulated salivary fow, xerostomia, and dysgeusia between T0 (baseline), T1 (after the 4th treatment session), T2 (after the 8th treatment session), and T3 (30 days after the end of treatment). Results Intragroup comparison of VAS scores for pain showed a signifcant diference between T0xT1, T0xT2, and T0xT3 in the TENS group and between T0xT2 and T0xT3 in the PBM group (p?0.001). Intergroup comparison of VAS scores for pain between T2xT3 showed a better response to PBM than to TENS (p=0.003). Patients of the TENS group showed an increase in salivary fow between T1 and T2 (p=0.052). There were no expressive variations in xerostomia or dysgeusia in the two groups analyzed. Conclusion TENS and PBM were efective in reducing the symptoms of burning mouth during and after treatment. The PBM group showed a better response during follow-up.