Investigation of Salivary Biomarkers IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α in Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Systematic Review

Context: This systematic review aimed to investigate the salivary biomarkers interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 1β (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) in burning mouth syndrome (BMS) to determine whether proinflammatory cytokines are effective in causing and sustaining pain due to nerve damage and whether some salivary interleukins are elevated in BMS patients. Evidence Acquisition: A systematic review was conducted in Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus from 2000 to 2021. All information was categorized in tables. Results: We found 264 articles in abstract screening. After removing duplicates, 61 articles were selected. Further screening reduced the number of articles to 28. After reviewing the full texts, finally, 15 articles had the inclusion criteria and met the objectives of the present study. Conclusions: Burning mouth syndrome is a chronic disorder with an unknown origin that involves systemic and neuropathic factors. We require further studies due to inconsistent studies and very few clinical trials deciding whether there is an association between IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β and BMS.