The effectiveness of acupuncture in treating acute dental pain: a systematic review.
OBJECTIVE
Acupuncture is frequently advocated as an effective treatment of dental pain. The question whether or not it is effective for this indication remains controversial. The aim of this systematic review therefore was to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture in dental pain.


METHODS
Four electronic databases were searched: Medline, Embase, CISCOM, and the Cochrane Library. Only controlled trials were included in this review.


METHODS
Information was extracted from included studies and entered on standard forms independently by both authors. Methodological quality was assessed using the Jadad score.


RESULTS
16 such studies were located. The majority of these trials imply that acupuncture is effective in dental analgesia. However, important questions remain unanswered.


CONCLUSIONS
It is concluded that acupuncture can alleviate dental pain and that future investigations should define the optimal acupuncture technique and its relative efficacy compared with conventional methods of analgesia.
Ernst
E
E
Department of Complementary Medicine, Postgraduate Medical School, University of Exeter.
Pittler
M H
MH
D015667:Acupuncture Analgesia; D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015982:Bias; D018849:Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic; D019992:Databases as Topic; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017288:Pain Threshold; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D014070:Tooth / Q000601:surgery*; D014098:Toothache / Q000628:therapy*