Research suggests that a chemical compound found in chili peppers may help relieve certain types of pain, including a burning sensation in the mouth.
The painful condition Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) shares similar symptoms, including a tingling sensation in the mouth, with conditions such as xerostomia, making diagnosis difficult and resulting in long-term discomfort and pain for patients. Researchers in Norway are currently developing a new treatment that involves delivering capsaicin, the active component of chili peppers, to the oral mucosa. This treatment will help manage the chronic pain associated with BMS.
According to the American Academy of Intraoral Medicine, BMS affects about 2% of the population, and women are seven times more likely to be diagnosed than men. Because pain intensity rarely corresponds to clinical features of the disease, BMS is considered a mysterious condition. “Pain lasting at least four to six months with a severe burning sensation in the mouth that cannot be explained by a medical or dental condition is what leads to a diagnosis of BMS,” Dr. Preet Bano Singh, assistant professor of medicine, said in a press release. Cardiology and Gerodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Oslo.
Little research has been done on BMS, which has resulted in patients often feeling rejected and their complaints trivialized. However, after scanning the brains of these patients, researchers discovered pathology in the pain matrix. This indicates that patients with BMS have cerebral neuropathy in the area of pain, which may be the cause of the burning sensation in the mouth. As Dr. Singh noted, it is critical to first explore other possible causes of burning mouth pain, such as medical and dental interventions and the use of certain medications, before making a diagnosis.
Current treatments for such patients in Norway are often ineffective. These include the use of medications such as benzodiazepines, gabapentin, tricyclic antidepressants, antipsychotics, antioxidants, and even behavioral therapy. “However, none of these treatments are optimal or particularly effective, and patients become desperate when there are no options to treat or relieve their chronic pain,” Dr. Singh said.
According to Dr. Singh, BMS can be effectively treated with capsaicin gel, which is widely used in many countries but is not available as an intraoral gel or ointment in Norway. “Capsaicin is a chemical compound found naturally in chili peppers. It acts as a 'wake-up agent' for specific receptors in the body that transmit pain and temperature signals,” Dr Singh explained.
When applied to the mouth, capsaicin is often quickly washed away by saliva, which reduces its effectiveness. “The goal is to develop a new method of delivering capsaicin to the oral cavity that will provide longer duration and better efficacy. However, before such a treatment strategy can be implemented, the safety of the new carrier for cells in the oral cavity must be investigated,” the researchers concluded.