FACIAL PAIN RESEARCH © JCM Ltd

ACUPUNCTURE EASES FACIAL PAIN
Pain tolerance in the masticatory muscles of patients suffering from chronic myofascial pain has been found to increase significantly with acupuncture when compared with sham acupuncture. Acupuncture at Hegu L.I.-4 was compared with blunt, non-penetrating sham in 15 chronic myofascial pain subjects who were asked to clench their teeth for two minutes. A statistically significant difference in pain tolerance was found with real acupuncture. (The short-term effects of acupuncture on myofascial pain patients after clenching. Pain Pract. 2007 Sep;7(3):256-64).


ACUPUNCTURE HELPS FACIAL PAIN
Twenty-five patients suffering from orofacial pain (myofascial pain 15, temperomandibular joint synovitis 5, fibromyalgia 2, neuropathic pain 2, trigeminal neuralgia 1) were assessed for pain before and after treatment by acupuncture). All patients were treated at Hegu L.I.-4, with further points needled according to individual presentation. Patients received a mean of 3.8 treatments each. All experience a reduction in pain after treatment, with mean value pain scores dropping from 5.28 to 2.26 over the study period, a significant reduction. (Med Sci Monit, 2005; 11(2): CR71-74).

ACUPUNCTURE AND POST-OPERATIVE ORAL SURGERY PAIN
In this study carried out at the University of Maryland, patients were randomly assigned to an acupuncture group or a placebo acupuncture group after third molar surgical extractions. The acupuncture group were treated at Hegu L.I.-4, Jiache ST-6, Xiaguan ST-7 and Yifeng SJ-17 on the affected side. The control group subjects were merely tapped in the vicinity of the points, using a needle guide tube, and a needle was taped in place but without penetrating the skin. The acupuncture subjects reported longer relief of pain and less pain intensity. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod, 1995; April, 79(4): 423-428).

ACUPUNCTURE AND FACIAL PAIN
A retrospective study of 201 patients treated for facial pain by acupuncture over a 10-year period at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock, Scotland, showed that overall 62.7% reported improvement. For those with temperomandibular joint/muscle pain, 46% were cured out of 61% who benefited. For those with trigeminal neuralgia, 62.9% reported improvement. The author, Nazim Merchant, Consultant Oral & Maxillo-Facial Surgeon, concludes that acupuncture has a significant role to play in the treatment of facial pain. For patients with temperomandibular joint or muscle pain, acupuncture may be the only treatment required, whilst in the case of trigeminal neuralgia, although acupuncture did not completely relieve the pain, it allowed a reduction in the dose of carbamazepine. The acupuncture method used relied mainly on local or trigger points. (Acupuncture in Medicine, Nov 1995 VOL X111 No2, 67-70).

ACUPUNCTURE AND POST-OPERATIVE ORAL SURGERY PAIN
In this study carried out at the University of Maryland, patients were randomly assigned to an acupuncture group or a placebo acupuncture group after third molar surgical extractions. The acupuncture group were treated at Hegu L.I.-4, Jiache ST-6, Xiaguan ST-7 and Yifeng SJ-17 on the affected side. The control group subjects were merely tapped in the vicinity of the points, using a needle guide tube, and a needle was taped in place but without penetrating the skin. The acupuncture subjects reported longer relief of pain and less pain intensity. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod, 1995; April, 79(4): 423-428).

ELECTROACUPUNCTURE FOR DENTAL SURGERY PAIN
A Brazilian study has concluded that electroacupuncture (EA) is effective at controlling postoperative pain after dental surgery. Twenty-four patients with symmetrically impacted mandibular third molars were selected. Each patient was submitted to two separate surgical procedures under local anesthesia. On one side, extraction was carried out using EA both 24 hours prior to, and immediately after surgery, while on the contralateral side, surgery was carried out without any EA treatment. EA was applied on six bilateral systemic and two auricular points using 40-60Hz frequency for 20 min and individually adjusted intensity. Postoperative pain scores were significantly lower for the EA group and analgesic intake decreased in this group for all evaluated periods. (Electro-acupuncture efficacy on pain control after mandibular third molar surgery. Braz Dent J. 2007;18(2):158-62).