Characterization of pain originating from oral mucosal lesions

Objective The aim of the study was to characterize pain associated with oral mucosal lesions. Study Design A cross-sectional study was performed in patients diagnosed with localized mucosal pain originating from acute ulcers (AUs), herpes infections (HIs), and immune-mediated chronic diseases (IMCDs). Pain-related features, including intensity (VAS-I), perceived unpleasantness (VAS-U), functional impairment (VAS-F), and effect on quality of life (VAS-Q), were recorded using a 10-cm visual analogue scale (VAS). Waking from sleep, provoking, and alleviating factors were assessed by questionnaires. Results Sixty-three patients aged 19 to 82 years (47.22 ± 17.20 years) were examined over the study period. These included 18 patients with AUs, 21 with HIs, and 24 with IMCDs. At rest, VAS-U was significantly higher than VAS-I for all groups, and VAS-F was higher for lesions located on the tongue or lips. Up to 80% of patients described the pain as “burning.” Differences between groups were not observed for all other parameters measured. Pain woke the patients from sleep in almost half of cases. VAS-I and VAS-U were not related to size or number of lesions. Conclusions Mucosal pain is generally burning in quality, with a higher level of pain-related unpleasantness than pain intensity. In about half of the cases, pain awakens the person from sleep, a feature that correlated to female gender and pain intensity. Pain intensity or unpleasantness was not related to the size or number of lesions.