Diagnosis

There's no one test that can determine if you have burning mouth syndrome. Instead, your doctor will try to rule out other problems before diagnosing burning mouth syndrome.

Your doctor or dentist likely will:

• Review your medical history and medications
• Examine your mouth
• Ask you to describe your symptoms, oral habits and oral care routine

In addition, your doctor will likely perform a general medical exam, looking for signs of other conditions. You may have some of the following tests:

• Blood tests. Blood tests can check your complete blood count, glucose level, thyroid function, nutritional factors and immune functioning, all of which may provide clues about the source of your mouth discomfort.
• Oral cultures or biopsies. Taking and analyzing samples from your mouth can determine whether you have a fungal, bacterial or viral infection.
• Allergy tests. Your doctor may suggest allergy testing to see if you may be allergic to certain foods, additives or even substances in dental work.
• Salivary measurements. With burning mouth syndrome, your mouth may feel dry. Salivary tests can confirm whether you have a reduced salivary flow.
• Gastric reflux tests. These tests can determine if you have GERD.
• Imaging. Your doctor may recommend an MRI scan, a CT scan or other imaging tests to check for other health problems.
• Medication adjustment. If you take a medication that may contribute to mouth discomfort, your doctor may change the dose, switch to a different medication, or temporarily stop the medication, if possible, to see if your discomfort goes away. Don't try this on your own, because it can be dangerous to stop some medications.
• Psychological questionnaires. You may be asked to fill out questionnaires that can help determine if you have symptoms of depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions.