title: Acupuncture in the management of acute dental pain.
abstract: Acute dental pain is the main reason for seeking dental services to provide urgent dental care; there is consensus about the use of alternative therapies, such as acupuncture, to control dental pain in pre-dental care. This study aimed to evaluate the use of acupuncture in reducing the intensity of acute dental pain in pre-dental care in patients waiting for emergency dental care, and was conducted at the After-Hours Emergency Dental Clinic of Piracicaba Dental School, and at the Emergency Center Dental Specialties I in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. The sample consisted of 120 patients. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to measure pain intensity. All patients underwent one session of acupuncture; the points LI4, ST44 and CV23 were selected and were used alone or in combinations. Reduction in pain was observed in 120 patients (mean initial VAS=6.558±1.886, p<0; mean final VAS=0.962±2.163, p<0.00001). The results of this study indicate that acupuncture analgesia could be a technical adjunct to pain control in patients with acute dental pain, contributing to the restoration of health with social benefit.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Dentistry, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cássia Maria
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Grillo
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Dentistry, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ronaldo Seichi
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Dentistry, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: luzsousa@fop.unicamp.br.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: da Luz Rosário de Sousa
mesh_terms: D015667:Acupuncture Analgesia / Q000379:methods*; D015669:Acupuncture Points; D059787:Acute Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D014098:Toothache / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: acupuncture analgesia; alternative medicine; dentistry; toothache