Role of Auriculotherapy in the Treatment of Temporomandibular Disorders with Anxiety in University Students

Abstract

Introduction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of auriculotherapy with mustard seeds in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), anxiety, and electromyographic (EMG) activity in university students. Methodology. The State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) for TMDs (RDC/TMDs), and electromyography were used in this study of 44 college students with high levels of anxiety and TMDs. The subjects were divided into two groups: an auriculotherapy (AA) group (n = 31) and an AA sham group (n = 13). The mustard seeds were applied to the shenmen, rim, sympathetic, brain stem, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) points in the AA group and to sham points in the external ear and wrist in the AA sham group. The treatment protocol was 10 sessions (two treatments per week). Results. Anxiety (p < 0.01) was significantly reduced in the AA group. This group also showed a decrease in tender points in the mandibular posterior region (p = 0.04) and in the right side of the submandibular region (p = 0.02). Complaints of bilateral pain were reduced in the temporal tendon (p ≤ 0.01) and in the left side of the ATM (p < 0.01). In addition, electromyographic (EMG) activity was reduced during temporal muscle contraction (p = 0.03). Conclusion. Auriculotherapy was effective in the treatment of students with anxiety and TMDs.

Efeitos da auriculoterapia sobre o estresse, ansiedade e depressão em adultos e idosos: revisão sistemática

“…As a result, 51 articles were read in full, of which 27 were excluded and 24 included in the qualitative analysis ( Figure 1). The included articles were carried out in hospitals (n = 14) (1,4,(14)(15)(16)(18)(19)(21)(22)24,(26)(27)(29)(30) , universities (n = 2) (11,16) , specialized medical centers (n = 4) (2)(3)17,27) , one non-governmental organization (n = 1) (23) , and one long-term institution (n = 1) (20) , among others (13,23) . Of these, 22 were developed in Western countries, and two in Eastern countries (24,30) .…”

“…A total of 22 (92%) articles showed a positive effect of auriculotherapy on stress (1,(3)(4)(14)(15)30) , anxiety (2,(11)(12)(13)(16)(17)(18)(19)20,22,(24)(25)(26)(28)(29)(30) or depression (23)(24)(25)(26)(28)(29)(30) . The main tools for measuring outcomes were: List of Symptoms of Stress (LSS) (1,4,(14)(15) , the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) (11)(12)(17)(18)(19)(20)22,27) , and the Hamilton Anxiety and Depression Scale (24,29) .…”

“…The main lines of reasoning used in studies for auriculotherapy application were Chinese (1)(2)4,11,(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(24)(25)27,30) , the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) protocol (3,(28)(29) , the French line (21,26) , The Auricular Protocol for Pain & Anxiety (APPA) (22) , and the Gold Protocol (17) . Two of the studies did not define the theoretical foundation (12,23) .…”

“…Scientific evidence points to the effects of this intervention on stress (1,(3)(4)(14)(15) , anxiety (2,(11)(12)(13)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22) and depression (23) in isolation or only in associating anxiety and depression (24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29) . However, there are few studies to date which have evaluated the three outcomes together (30) .…”

Implementação, acesso e uso das práticas integrativas e complementares no Sistema Único de Saúde: revisão da literatura

“…While mechanisms of action of acupuncture 29,30 and homeopathy 31,32 are still not entirely clear and sometimes inconclusive, their benefits have been demonstrated in different studies for different diseases [33][34][35][36] . As a result, adherence to these treatments is increasingly progressive, so that 80% of the 129 WHO member countries already recognize acupuncture as a health treatment 5 , and homeopathy is one of the most indicated ICPs in European countries, as in France 37 .…”