Major depressive disorder represents a growing concern as its prevalence keeps rising worldwide; with this rising, there is also an increased demand in the field of oral medicine in developed countries, and since many disorders and orofacial pain have been linked to be associated with psychiatric disorders and conditions, this study was aimed to evaluate burning mouth syndrome and salivary chromogranin A in major depressive disorder patients. The study sample included 49 patients who received a diagnosis of major depressive disorder, being under treatment for at least two weeks. The control group consists of 34 healthy subjects with no signs & symptoms of systemic disease. The study group received the diagnosis according to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM5), in Najaf city. The results showed that for the study sample, 23 (46.9%) patients had Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS), while 26 (53.1%) patients did not have BMS for the study group. As for the control group, 5 (14.7%) individuals reported having BMS, and 29 (85.3%) didn't. The findings of the present study revealed a significant difference in salivary chromogranin A levels between the study and control groups (p < 0.05) using a t-test. We found salivary chromogranin A is an excellent salivary biomarker for MDD., and MDD patients have much higher incidents of reporting BMS, indicating the importance of psychological factors in this condition.

Keywords: Depression, Chromogranin A, Major depression, Burning mouth syndrome