Efficacy of cranial electrotherapy stimulation in patients with burning mouth syndrome: a randomized, controlled, double-blind pilot study

This study investigates whether cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) can help people with burning mouth syndrome (BMS), a condition causing a burning feeling in the mouth. The study compares CES to a sham (fake) stimulation to see if the real treatment is more effective. Participants received either active CES or sham CES for 60 minutes daily, along with local transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) of the tongue for 3 minutes, over four weeks. Researchers tracked pain levels, sleep quality, and psychological well-being. The study found that both the real and sham CES groups reported less pain and better sleep, but the active CES was not significantly better than the sham. This suggests that the improvements might be due to a placebo effect rather than the CES itself.

• 1
  Both active and sham CES groups showed a significant decrease in pain intensity over the study period.
• 2
  A significant decrease in somatic symptoms and an improvement in sleep quality were observed in both groups.
• 3
  Active CES was not superior to sham stimulation in reducing pain, anxiety, or depression in patients with BMS.