title: Acupuncture for treating temporomandibular joint disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, sham-controlled trials.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this article was to assess the clinical evidence for or against acupuncture and acupuncture-like therapies as treatments for temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD).
  
  
  METHODS
  This systematic review includes randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of acupuncture as a treatment for TMD compared to sham acupuncture. The search terms were selected according to medical subject heading (MeSH).
  
  
  METHODS
  Systematic searches were conducted in 13 electronic databases up to July 2010; Medline, PubMed, The Cochrane Library 2010 (Issue 7), CINAHL, EMBASE, seven Korean Medical Databases and a Chinese Medical Database.
  
  
  METHODS
  All parallel or cross-over RCTs of acupuncture for TMD were searched without language restrictions. Studies in which no clinical data and complex interventions were excluded. Finally, total of 7 RCTs met our inclusion criteria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, our systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrate that the evidence for acupuncture as a symptomatic treatment of TMD is limited. Further rigorous studies are, however, required to establish beyond doubt whether acupuncture has therapeutic value for this indication.
authors.affiliation: School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, South Korea.
authors.forename: Aram
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Byung-Cheul
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Myeong Soo
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hoseob
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sim
authors.forename: Edzard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ernst
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D017271:Craniomandibular Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010919:Placebos; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D013706:Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D010919:Placebos