Efficacy of rikkosan for primary burning mouth syndrome: a retrospective study.

Authors :: Hato H
Sakata KI
Sato J
Asaka T
Ohga N
Yamazaki Y
Kitagawa Y
Source :: BioPsychoSocial medicine [Biopsychosoc Med] 2021 Oct 30; Vol. 15 (1), pp. 19. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Oct 30.
Publication Year :: 2021
Abstract: Background: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a chronic condition characterized by pain in the oral cavity. Kampo medicine is a traditional Japanese medical system that has its roots partly in ancient Chinese medicine. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of rikkosan-a traditional Japanese herbal medicine (Kampo)-in the treatment of primary BMS.<br />Main Body: A single-center retrospective study was conducted in 32 patients who were diagnosed with primary BMS and treated with rikkosan alone through gargling (2.5 g rikkosan dissolved in 50 mL hot water) three times daily. Patients were asked to evaluate their pain using a numerical rating scale (NRS) at first visit and after 1 month. One patient had stomatitis as a side effect after gargling with rikkosan, however, no side effects were observed in other patients. Overall NRS scores decreased significantly between the first visit (7.6 ± 2.7) and the 1-month visit (5.6 ± 2.8).<br />Conclusions: Rikkosan may be an effective treatment for primary BMS.<br /> (© 2021. The Author(s).)