A Case Series of Burning Mouth Syndrome Treated with Stellate Ganglion Near-Infrared Irradiation: Assessment of Health- Related Quality of Life Based on the Japanese Version of the MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey Version 2

This is the first case report of patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS), who underwent treatment with stellate ganglion near-infrared irradiation (SGR) and an assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) based on the Japanese version of the MOS 36-item short-form health survey version 2 (SF-36v2). BMS is characterized by oral burning and painful sensations with a normal clinical appearance; its real cause is still unknown. Recently, the relationships between BMS and the function of the autonomic nervous system have been pointed out; SGR has been reported to be beneficial in BMS patients. The Japanese SF-36v2 was designed to assess HRQoL for medical outcome study. The aim of this study is to assess HRQoL outcomes of SGR by using the Japanese SF-36v2. Five BMS patients received SGR. Evaluation of SGR response by visual analogue scale and assessment of HRQoL by the Japanese SF-36v2 were carried out. BMS patients had a positive response to SGR and yielded higher scores in almost all domains of the Japanese SF-36v2. Pathological conditions of BMS patients were considered to be complicated by physical and mental factors; psychosocial supports are needed for their care in addition to physical supports such as pain control.