Effectiveness of Chinese acupuncture on pain relief following surgical removal of impacted third molars: A self-controlled clinical trial

Abstract

IntroductionThe extraction of the third molar commonly produces severe pain, swelling, and functional disability. The most common treatment for postoperative pain is nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Unfortunately, these medications are associated with systematic side effects.Acupuncture as a physical therapy may provide effective pain relief without these side effects. AimsThis research is a self-controlled clinical trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of Chinese acupuncture treatment in pain relief following the surgical extraction of impacted third molars. Materials and methodsAcupuncture treatment was applied to 50 patients for 20min immediately following surgical extraction of all impacted third molars on the left side of all patients.Pain assessment was performed using a standardized questionnaire that contained information about the name and age of the patient, numbering and classification of the impacted tooth, timing and duration of the surgical operation, and a table with the visual analogue scale (VAS) for measuring pain intensity.The pain intensity was measured several times. The measurement was started by the author himself who did the first two measurements. The patient was then asked to continue evaluating the pain intensity for the following periods: after 6 and 12h and on the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh days. ResultsPain intensity values were less for the acupuncture group for all studied periods. ConclusionAcupuncture treatment following surgical extraction of impacted third molars could reduce postoperative pain values.