Unpleasant olfactory and gustatory stimuli increase pain unpleasantness in patients with chronic oral burning pain: An exploratory study.

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.