Acupuncture Relaxes Nervous Dental Patients

March 29, 2010 -- Acupuncture needles stuck into two strategic spots on the
head may reduce anxiety levels of highly nervous dental patients, new research
indicates.
The needles induce relaxation and reduce fear that all but paralyzes some
people facing dental treatments, say researchers from England and Denmark.
In a study published in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine,
acupuncture treatment was performed in 16 women and four men from eight dental
practices. Each of the patients had been rated as moderately or extremely
anxious based on a questionnaire scale called the Beck Anxiety Inventory
(BAI).
The BAI scores of the individuals were assessed before and five minutes
after acupuncture treatment involving two specific points on the top of the
head.
Dentists trained in the use of acupuncture carried out the experiments, and
average BAI scores fell to 11.5 from 26.5. The acupuncture treatments worked so
well that all 20 people managed to have their dental procedures carried
out.
The authors write that about 5% of patients in the U.S. and Europe have
severe dental anxiety called odontiatophobia and 20%-30% report moderate
anxiety. Several techniques had been used to help patients overcome their
fear of dental treatments, such as relaxation therapy, biofeedback, and
hypnosis. Those techniques may work, but they are time consuming and require
psychotherapeutic skills.
The authors conclude that acupuncture “prior to dental treatment has a
beneficial effect on the level of anxiety in patients with dental anxiety and
may offer a simple and inexpensive method of treatment.�?
However, they say the results need to be tested and validated in a larger
trial.
http://www .webmd.com/oral-health/news/20100329/acupuncture-relaxes-nervous-dental-patients?src=RSS_PUBLIC