title: A systematic review on acupuncture for trigeminal neuralgia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a commonly seen pain condition with limited treatments available, and acupuncture is widely used for pain conditions, including TN.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To review the efficacy of acupuncture treatment for TN.
  
  
  METHODS
  English and Chinese databases were searched extensively to identify randomized controlled studies of acupuncture treatment for TN. Selected studies were assessed for methodological quality. Odds ratios (OR) between treatment and control groups were used to assess efficacy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria with 506 people in the acupuncture arm and 414 people in the control arm, in which carbamazepine (CBZ) was used as the control treatment. They were all low-quality studies, hence precluding meta-analysis. Only four trials reported that acupuncture was superior to CBZ, and the remaining eight studies showed no difference between the treatment and control groups. Adverse effects of acupuncture, which were reported in three studies, were mild.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The evidence reviewed previously suggests that acupuncture is of similar efficacy as CBZ but with fewer adverse effects in treatment of TN. However, the evidence is weak because of low methodological quality of the reviewed studies. Further studies with improved methodologies are recommended to support the use of acupuncture for TN.
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, PRC.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Ka-Fai
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Shi Ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000592:standards / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000592:standards / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D059408:Pain Management; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D014277:Trigeminal Neuralgia / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; D002220:Carbamazepine