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Whether you have ulcers or a black hairy tongue, your mouth can tell a doctor a lot about your health. Just by peering inside your mouth, oral medicine specialists can diagnose anything from skin rashes to gut problems. Dr Joanna Zakrewska, from St Bartholemew s and the Royal London Hospital, talks about the years of intensive training which oral medicine specialists have to undergo, and how she now passes that knowledge on to trainee doctors and dentists. The condition known as burning mouth syndrome is difficult to diagnose because there are no visible signs of the problem, which used to be called glossodynia. Along with a new name, there are now more treatment options including antidepressants which appear to damp down the chronic pain patients experience.