Acupuncture on Anxiety and Inflammatory Events Following Surgery of Mandibular Third Molars

Acupuncture on Anxiety and Inflammatory Events Following Surgery of Mandibular Third Molars

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of acupuncture and placebo acupuncture for the control of pain, edema, and trismus following the extraction of third molars and control of preoperative anxiety. Patients who met the study criteria were randomized to the type of acupuncture (active acupuncture or placebo acupuncture) and to the side of the first surgery (right or left).

Studies using acupuncture have shown promising results in the control of pain, edema, trismus and anxiety control. The use of this technique is interesting considering the negative effects of excessive use of medicines and the side effects of medications which are the most common treatment used for the control of these complications. However, there are no reports in the literature that evaluated the effects of acupuncture on the control of these variables following mandibular third molar extraction, using the placebo-needle design and blinding the patients, operators, and evaluators. Therefore, the aim of this split-mouth randomized triple-blind clinical trial was to compare the efficacy of acupuncture and placebo acupuncture for the control of pain, edema, trismus and preoperative anxiety in the extraction of third molars.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients with indication for bilateral extraction of asymptomatic mandibular third molars in the position class IIB, according to the classification of Pell & Gregory (1933).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Previous use of any type of medication in the 15 days prior to the study;
• Hypersensitivity to drugs, substances or any materials used in this experiment;
• Pregnancy or lactation;
• Previous case of pericoronitis;
• People who have previously undergone any kind of acupuncture treatment.