ArticleEuropean journal of pain (London, England)2022
Unpleasant olfactory and gustatory stimuli increase pain unpleasantness in patients with chronic oral burning pain: An exploratory study.
Article in European journal of pain (London, England), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Green light exposure reduces central sensitization in cats with osteoarthritis-associated somatosensory impairment.iScience · 2026Article
- An Olfactory Piriform Cortex-Lateral Hypothalamus Neural Circuit Contributes to Linalool-Induced Analgesia.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2026Article
- Psychological Subtypes and Intervention Strategies in Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Narrative Review.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- A Matter of Taste: Roles of Taste Preference on Performance and Psychological Responses during Anaerobic Exercise.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Unpleasant olfactory and gustatory stimuli increase pain unpleasantness in patients with chronic oral burning pain: An exploratory study.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDespite mounting evidence for the powerful influence of smell and taste substances in experimental pain, our knowledge of their effects in the clinical context is scarce, especially for patients with chronic oral burning pain. To fill this gap, we investigated the effect of olfactory and gustatory stimuli on pain perception in patients with chronic oral burning pain, a disabling condition that is difficult to manage and treat.
methodsTwenty-two patients with chronic oral burning pain underwent testing with a variety of olfactory and gustatory substances (pleasant, neutral, unpleasant) in multisensory interaction. The order of testing was randomized. Perception of pain intensity and unpleasantness was evaluated on a numerical rating scale at baseline and immediately after each test trial.
resultsPain unpleasantness but not pain intensity was found to be modulated by chemosensory stimuli. Unpleasant olfactory and gustatory stimuli increased the perception of pain unpleasantness compared to pleasant and neutral stimuli. Pain unpleasantness after unpleasant olfactory and gustatory stimuli correlated with psychological questionnaire subscale scores for distress (CORE-OM) and emotional awareness (TAS-20).
conclusionsOur findings suggest a role of unpleasant chemosensory stimuli in increasing the perception of pain unpleasantness in patients with chronic oral burning. The lack of an effect on pain intensity indicates a dissociation between sensory and affective pain components. Future research is needed to further study the association between chemosensory stimuli and emotional and subjective aspects in modulating chronic oral burning pain. SIGNIFICANCE: This exploratory work suggests that unpleasant smell and taste stimuli may have an adverse effect on the affective component of chronic oral burning pain. Future comprehensive large-scale research, also applying brain imaging investigations as well as full psychological analysis, is required to better understand the role of smell and taste stimuli on this chronic and disabling pain condition.
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