The Use of Acupuncture in Dentistry: A Systematic Review

Abstract

SummaryPublished controlled studies on the analgesic effect ot' acupuncturc in dentistry arc still relatively few, but those which lulfil predefined nethodological critetia are rcvlewed to assess if acupuncture is effective in this field. A literature search identifiecl 74 papers published between 1966 and 1996, and 18 are reviewed. Only l5 of the papers fulfil a number of predefined criteria: having a reterence Eroup t rndomi\dlion. blindtng -Jpptoptiate \tati5ti \ \urfi, ient follou up. etc. Ol lhe !5 pdpet, only one study meets more than Bso/a of the critetia, five meet 70-84/0, three studies meet 60-69/0, and six do not rcach 60% of the predefined criteria and are thus considered unreliahle Eleven out of the 15 studies were in favour of acupuncturc and showed standard acupunctute to be more effective than placebo, non-standard (sham) acupuncturc, or showed it ta be able to produce bettet ot similar results to an accepted tieatment pro, pdutp. lhc hi7her the sandad ol the papet the mote likpl\ it vas to ha\e d positite re'ull in farout of acupuncturc: all those in the excellent or good categoties gave a favourable rcsult. Acupuncturc prcved effective in 73/' of the reviewed papers for the treatment of Temperomandibular dysfunction or as an analgesic, and shoulcl be constdered as a reasonable alternative or supplement to currcnt dental pnctice in these ateas.is rife, and there is a clinical imoression that acupuncture can offer an alternative io the sedative drug. , 66r'ron t, u.ed. although no , ontrolled stuoteS are ava aote Like other clinical disciplines, dentists sometimes meet problems which do not respond to orthodox lrpd ma,1 . lr, ial pain may g \e i.erodidgnosrr( oif , rl. er, 5omelime. lhrouih fai urp ro ronsidpr musculoskeletal causes. Orthodox tredLnrenr may involve surgery, for instance on the sinuses, trigeminal nerve ablation, or removal of teeth, occasionally unnecessarily. There are many causes of facial pain, and there is often a muscul6skeletal compo.nent, but in general a high percentage respond to acupunctLtre clinically. Temperomandibular joint (TMJ) dysiunctron is commonly seen in dental practice. There is no standard treatment, but tranquil lisers, physiotherapy, occJusal splint and counselling afe treatments commonly tried. Here too acupuncture can be ol .lini, al bpncfi . Morc rarelv \ecl i. \jcjg.er\ .)ndromF. nhich ir a der reaqe in salira llolr associated with painful rheumatoid arthritis. Conventionall, treatment is Iimited to artificial saliva and analgesics. Again, acupuncture is found to be clinically helpful.I1 .eLe1l \edr. inlc.p\l in d, upunrlure for dcntist.y ha\ ;n.rpdsed dr laast pdrtlv becau,e of publi.hed results of its efficacy. However, the literature is not extensive and the results recorded vary considerably: frcm no elfect to significant improvdment The aim of this article is to iliscuss and leview methodically the published clinical trials to determine whether clear conclusions can be obtained for the use of acupuncture in dentistry.Methodologi cal co nside ratio...

The assessment of systematic reviews in dentistry

“…Of the 65 systematic reviews including studies in the field of dentistry, 20 (31%) focused on pain (Table 2). Only three of these reviews focused on dental pain alone (13–15), the remainder of the reviews pooled studies set in both dental and medical settings. The other areas most frequently evaluated within the systematic reviews were periodontics, caries, oral medicine, and oral maxillofacial surgery.…”

The Short‐Term Effects of Acupuncture on Myofascial Pain Patients After Clenching

“…They suggest that the mechanical action of needling causes receptors to send neural impulses to the spinal cord to act on ascending pathways to the brain and cause the release of neurotransmitters that subsequently modulate pain processing in the brain. This alternative theory of the mechanism of acupuncture is based on studies that have used acupuncture to treat head and neck pain 19–28 . It has also been suggested that acupuncture‐induced analgesia is mediated by the release of endogenous opioids 29 .…”

Modeling of non-invasive Xylocaine delivery system for dentistry

“…A systematic review of papers on the use of acupuncture in dentistry published between 1966 and 1996 showed standard acupuncture to be more effective than a placebo or sham acupuncture. As per the study, it was concluded that acupuncture should be considered a reasonable alternative or supplement to current dental practice as an analgesic [22].…”