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Effect of a 2% topical chamomile application for treating burning mouth syndrome: a controlled clinical trial
Author(s) -
Valenzuela Sara,
PonsFuster Alvaro,
LópezJornet Pia
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of oral pathology and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.887
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1600-0714
pISSN - 0904-2512
DOI - 10.1111/jop.12412
Subject(s) - medicine , placebo , visual analogue scale , quality of life (healthcare) , analgesic , burning mouth syndrome , randomized controlled trial , clinical trial , statistical significance , anesthesia , surgery , alternative medicine , nursing , pathology
Background The treatments for burning mouth syndrome ( BMS ) proposed to date have been varied but have only achieved limited efficacy. Chamomile has analgesic and anti‐inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of topical applications of 2% chamomile gel in comparison with a placebo for the treatment of BMS . Materials and methods The study was designed as a prospective randomized placebo‐controlled double‐blind monocentric study. A total of 62 patients with idiopathic BMS were divided into two groups: Group A received applications of a 2% chamomile gel, and Group B (placebo) were administered a placebo; both treatments were applied twice daily for 1 month. Three variables were evaluated at base line, 15 and 30 days: pain (assessed using a visual analogue scale [ VAS ]), xerostomia severity (Xerostomia Inventory), and oral quality of life (assessed by means of the Oral Health Impact Profile‐14). Results A total of 57 patients completed the study. Pain, xerostomia, and quality of life underwent improvements with statistical significance at 15 and 30 days in both groups ( P < 0.001). But when the two groups were compared, differences in VAS pain were not significant ( P = 0.847), nor were xerostomia severity ( P = 0.536), or oral quality of life ( P = 0.076). Conclusion The chamomile gel product was well tolerated. As treatment with chamomile and the placebo produced similar outcomes, the efficacy of 2% chamomile gel for treating BMS appears questionable. However, further studies with larger patient samples are needed to confirm this.