title: The Effect of Acupuncture on the Success of Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block for Teeth with Symptomatic Irreversible Pulpitis: A Triple-blind Randomized Clinical Trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) does not always provide satisfactory anesthesia for patients with irreversible pulpitis. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of preoperative acupuncture on the success rate of IANBs for teeth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a randomized triple-blinded clinical trial, 40 patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis were divided into 2 groups: the acupuncture and control groups. In the acupuncture group, a disposable needle was inserted at LI4 (Hegu) acupoint, and after 15 minutes, for patients who had reported the De qi sensation, an IANB was administered. In the control group, 15 minutes before the administration of an IANB, the practitioner simply imitated the acupuncture procedure but did not actually insert the needle. Endodontic treatments were conducted for the patients who reported lip numbness 15 minutes after the injection of the IANB. If the patients felt intolerable pain (>20 mm on a visual analog scale of 100 mm) during the procedure, a supplementary injection was administered. In those situations, the IANB was considered an unsuccessful injection. Data were evaluated by the chi-square, Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney, and t tests. The level of significance was set at 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall success rates of IANB for the acupuncture and control groups were 60% and 20%, respectively (P < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The application of acupuncture before the endodontic treatment increased the effectiveness of IANBs for mandibular molars with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endodontics, Dental School, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
authors.forename: Shahrzad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jalali
authors.affiliation: Dental Research Laboratory, Howard University College of Dentistry, Washington, DC. Electronic address: nimamajd@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Nima
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moradi Majd
authors.affiliation: Dental Carries Research Center, Dental School, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
authors.forename: Samane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Torabi
authors.affiliation: Council of Traditional Medicine, Medical School, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Habibi
authors.affiliation: Department of Endodontics, Dental School, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamed
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Homayouni
authors.affiliation: Preventive Medicine Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Navid
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mohammadi
mesh_terms: D015667:Acupuncture Analgesia; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000766:Anesthesia, Dental / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009407:Nerve Block / Q000379:methods*; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011671:Pulpitis / Q000601:surgery*; D011672:Pulpotomy; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Acupuncture; anesthesia; inferior alveolar nerve block; symptomatic irreversible pulpitis