Topical Piperine for the Management of Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Case Series

Varoni, Elena M.; Meregalli, Marco; Lodi, Giovanni; Vitalini, Sara; Iriti, Marcello; Sardella, Andrea

doi:10.3390/jcm15103789

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Open AccessArticle

Topical Piperine for the Management of Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Case Series

by

Elena M. Varoni

^1,2,*

,

Marco Meregalli

¹,

Giovanni Lodi

^1,2

,

Sara Vitalini

¹,

Marcello Iriti

^1,†

and

Andrea Sardella

^1,2,†

¹

Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Via Beldiletto 1, 20142 Milan, Italy

²

Odontostomatological Units, San Paolo Hospital, ASST Santi Paolo and Carlo, Via Beldiletto 1, 20142 Milan, Italy

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(10), 3789; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15103789

Submission received: 9 March 2026 / Revised: 23 April 2026 / Accepted: 30 April 2026 / Published: 14 May 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Paradigms, Advances and Future Directions in Oral Medicine)

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Abstract

Background: Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) is a chronic pain characterized by persistent oral burning and itching sensations without identifiable organic causes. In this case series, we explored the role as non-pharmacological therapy effects of topical piperine in reducing BMS-related symptoms. Methods: BMS patients performed a 1 min mouthrinse, twice daily for 8 weeks, with 10 mg of piperine in 20 mL of water. At baseline and post-treatment, pain intensity was evaluated using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), while oral-health-related quality of life and sleep quality were assessed using the oral health impact profile (OHIP-14) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) questionnaires. Results: After 8 weeks of treatment, 9 of 14 patients (64%) reported improvement in BMS symptoms. Pain intensity significantly decreased (NRS scores reduced from 5.10 ± 1.81 to 3.21 ± 2.12; p = 0.001). OHIP-14 scores also improved (from 17.6 ± 8.9 to 12.3 ± 10.4; p = 0.003), as did ESS scores (from 3.86 ± 3.16 to 2.86 ± 2.96; p = 0.008). No adverse events or symptom worsening were reported. Conclusions: Topical piperine may help relieve symptoms in BMS, but the evidence is preliminary due to the small sample size and lack of a control group. Randomized controlled trials are needed to explore its effectiveness.

Keywords: burning mouth syndrome; piperine; topical administration

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MDPI and ACS Style

Varoni, E.M.; Meregalli, M.; Lodi, G.; Vitalini, S.; Iriti, M.; Sardella, A. Topical Piperine for the Management of Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Case Series. J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15, 3789. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15103789

AMA Style

Varoni EM, Meregalli M, Lodi G, Vitalini S, Iriti M, Sardella A. Topical Piperine for the Management of Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Case Series. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2026; 15(10):3789. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15103789

Chicago/Turabian Style

Varoni, Elena M., Marco Meregalli, Giovanni Lodi, Sara Vitalini, Marcello Iriti, and Andrea Sardella. 2026. "Topical Piperine for the Management of Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Case Series" Journal of Clinical Medicine 15, no. 10: 3789. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15103789

APA Style

Varoni, E. M., Meregalli, M., Lodi, G., Vitalini, S., Iriti, M., & Sardella, A. (2026). Topical Piperine for the Management of Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Case Series. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 15(10), 3789. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15103789

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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Topical Piperine for the Management of Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Case Series

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