Managing Burning Mouth Syndrome with Omega-3 Fatty Acids: A Clinical Trial of Pain Relief and Quality of Life Improvement

Introduction: An inexplicable burning sensation in the oral mucosa is the hallmark of Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS), a chronic illness that is often connected to inflammatory and neuropathic processes. Materials and Methods: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study including 120 individua...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rahul Srivastava, Saquib Khan, Dhirendra Kumar Singh, Sangita Nath, Dharitri Bharali, Hiroj Bagde
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2025-06-01
Series:Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_339_25
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849420822015377408
author Rahul Srivastava
Saquib Khan
Dhirendra Kumar Singh
Sangita Nath
Dharitri Bharali
Hiroj Bagde
author_facet Rahul Srivastava
Saquib Khan
Dhirendra Kumar Singh
Sangita Nath
Dharitri Bharali
Hiroj Bagde
author_sort Rahul Srivastava
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: An inexplicable burning sensation in the oral mucosa is the hallmark of Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS), a chronic illness that is often connected to inflammatory and neuropathic processes. Materials and Methods: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study including 120 individuals with a BMS diagnosis was carried out. Over the course of 12 weeks, participants were randomized to receive either a placebo or 2 grams of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) daily. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to quantify the change in pain intensity, which was the main result. Secondary outcomes were patient-reported symptom alleviation and quality of life as measured by the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). Results: In total, 110 out of the 120 individuals finished the study. When compared to the placebo group, the omega-3 group’s VAS pain ratings significantly decreased (mean change: -3.4 vs. -1.2, P < 0.001). Additionally, the omega-3 group saw considerably higher improvements in quality of life, with a mean decrease in OHIP-14 ratings of -8.7 points compared to -3.1 in the placebo group (P < 0.001). In the omega-3 group, most patients experienced moderate to total symptom alleviation (82% vs. 45%, P < 0.001). The omega-3 group had higher gastrointestinal pain, although adverse effects were generally moderate. Conclusion: Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation significantly reduces pain and improves quality of life in patients with BMS, providing a safe and effective alternative to conventional treatments.
format Article
id doaj-art-b5833351ba5a4e848310cad8d7152fef
institution Kabale University
issn 0976-4879
0975-7406
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
record_format Article
series Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences
spelling doaj-art-b5833351ba5a4e848310cad8d7152fef2025-08-20T03:31:38ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsJournal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences0976-48790975-74062025-06-0117Suppl 2S1362S136410.4103/jpbs.jpbs_339_25Managing Burning Mouth Syndrome with Omega-3 Fatty Acids: A Clinical Trial of Pain Relief and Quality of Life ImprovementRahul SrivastavaSaquib KhanDhirendra Kumar SinghSangita NathDharitri BharaliHiroj BagdeIntroduction: An inexplicable burning sensation in the oral mucosa is the hallmark of Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS), a chronic illness that is often connected to inflammatory and neuropathic processes. Materials and Methods: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study including 120 individuals with a BMS diagnosis was carried out. Over the course of 12 weeks, participants were randomized to receive either a placebo or 2 grams of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) daily. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to quantify the change in pain intensity, which was the main result. Secondary outcomes were patient-reported symptom alleviation and quality of life as measured by the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). Results: In total, 110 out of the 120 individuals finished the study. When compared to the placebo group, the omega-3 group’s VAS pain ratings significantly decreased (mean change: -3.4 vs. -1.2, P < 0.001). Additionally, the omega-3 group saw considerably higher improvements in quality of life, with a mean decrease in OHIP-14 ratings of -8.7 points compared to -3.1 in the placebo group (P < 0.001). In the omega-3 group, most patients experienced moderate to total symptom alleviation (82% vs. 45%, P < 0.001). The omega-3 group had higher gastrointestinal pain, although adverse effects were generally moderate. Conclusion: Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation significantly reduces pain and improves quality of life in patients with BMS, providing a safe and effective alternative to conventional treatments.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_339_25burning mouth syndrome (bms)docosahexaenoic acid (dha)eicosapentaenoic acid (epa)neuropathic painomega-3 fatty acids
spellingShingle Rahul Srivastava
Saquib Khan
Dhirendra Kumar Singh
Sangita Nath
Dharitri Bharali
Hiroj Bagde
Managing Burning Mouth Syndrome with Omega-3 Fatty Acids: A Clinical Trial of Pain Relief and Quality of Life Improvement
Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences
burning mouth syndrome (bms)
docosahexaenoic acid (dha)
eicosapentaenoic acid (epa)
neuropathic pain
omega-3 fatty acids
title Managing Burning Mouth Syndrome with Omega-3 Fatty Acids: A Clinical Trial of Pain Relief and Quality of Life Improvement
title_full Managing Burning Mouth Syndrome with Omega-3 Fatty Acids: A Clinical Trial of Pain Relief and Quality of Life Improvement
title_fullStr Managing Burning Mouth Syndrome with Omega-3 Fatty Acids: A Clinical Trial of Pain Relief and Quality of Life Improvement
title_full_unstemmed Managing Burning Mouth Syndrome with Omega-3 Fatty Acids: A Clinical Trial of Pain Relief and Quality of Life Improvement
title_short Managing Burning Mouth Syndrome with Omega-3 Fatty Acids: A Clinical Trial of Pain Relief and Quality of Life Improvement
title_sort managing burning mouth syndrome with omega 3 fatty acids a clinical trial of pain relief and quality of life improvement
topic burning mouth syndrome (bms)
docosahexaenoic acid (dha)
eicosapentaenoic acid (epa)
neuropathic pain
omega-3 fatty acids
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_339_25
work_keys_str_mv AT rahulsrivastava managingburningmouthsyndromewithomega3fattyacidsaclinicaltrialofpainreliefandqualityoflifeimprovement
AT saquibkhan managingburningmouthsyndromewithomega3fattyacidsaclinicaltrialofpainreliefandqualityoflifeimprovement
AT dhirendrakumarsingh managingburningmouthsyndromewithomega3fattyacidsaclinicaltrialofpainreliefandqualityoflifeimprovement
AT sangitanath managingburningmouthsyndromewithomega3fattyacidsaclinicaltrialofpainreliefandqualityoflifeimprovement
AT dharitribharali managingburningmouthsyndromewithomega3fattyacidsaclinicaltrialofpainreliefandqualityoflifeimprovement
AT hirojbagde managingburningmouthsyndromewithomega3fattyacidsaclinicaltrialofpainreliefandqualityoflifeimprovement