Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a chronic pain syndrome that encompasses all forms of burning sensations in the oral cavity when the oral mucosa is clinically normal. Neural, psychologic, and cytokine factors may be implicated in the pathogenesis of BMS. There are no studies of genetic factors associated with psychologic behavior and cytokine pain sensitivity in BMS patients. The purpose of the present study was to investigate a possible association between functional genetic polymorphisms, +3,954 (C/T) interleukin-1beta, and the polymorphic site on promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) in a sample of Brazilian patients. Thirty patients affected by BMS and 31 healthy volunteers were genotyped for 5-HTTLPR and IL-1beta gene. The chi-squared test was used for statistical analysis. There was no statistical difference in 5-HTTLPR genotypes between the case and control groups (P = .60), however a significant increase was observed in the IL-1beta high production genotype CT in BMS subjects (P = .005). In conclusion, the present study shows association between BMS and IL-1beta high producer genotype.
Perspective: This article shows evidence that genetic polymorphisms associated with IL-1beta high production genotype are implicated on the pathogenesis of BMS. The modulation of IL1beta production may be an interesting tool in BMS management.