The burning mouth complaint of each of fifty-seven patients was thoroughly 
studied. Psychogenesis was found to be the most frequent cause, followed by 
geographic tongue and moniliasis. Multiple causative factors, such as 
psychogenesis and moniliasis and psychogenesis and geographic tongue, were found 
in some patients. The purely psychogenic group was composed mostly of 
postmenopausal women. The tongue and palate were the most frequently affected 
sites. There were some similarities among patients in the geographic tongue and 
psychogenesis groups. A diagnostic protocol for patients with burning mouth is 
described.