Electroacupuncture for Temporomandibular Disorders: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

Although electroacupuncture (EA) is an effective treatment for pain relief, there has been no systematic review of EA treatment for temporomandibular disorder TMD. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of EA in TMD management. We searched 14 databases until April 2021 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effects of EA on TMDs. Eleven RCTs with 667 patients that used three acupuncture points (ST6, ST7, and LI4) were included. Two RCTs reported significant effects of EA plus microwave treatment compared with EA treatment alone on the total effectiveness rate (TER) for TMD. Further, two studies reported that compared with ultrashort wave alone, EA plus ultrashort wave had a significant effect on the TER for TMD and visual analog scale. All RCTs did not report adverse events. Our findings demonstrated the positive potential of EA in TMD management. However, there was weak evidence regarding EA use for TMD management given the poor quality and small sample sizes of the included studies. In the future, well-designed RCTs are required. It is necessary to investigate clinical trials and systematic reviews to compare the effectiveness and safety of EA and acupuncture for TMD.

Evaluation of the efficacy of platelet rich fibrin (I-PRF) intra-articular injections in the management of internal derangements of temporomandibular joints – a controlled preliminary prospective clinical study

“…Therefore, there are several alternative therapies for TMD, such as low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) [ 24 ], Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) [ 25 ], Biofeedback in Masticatory Muscle Activity Management [ 26 ], Transdermal Cannabidiol Application [ 27 ], Myorelaxant of bee venom topical skin [ 28 ], Electroacupuncture for Temporomandibular Disorders which confirmed by a systematic review [ 29 ] that it was more effective in combination with other interventions than when conducted alone.…”

Assistência ao paciente com disfunção temporomandibular na atenção primária à saúde brasileira: lacunas, desafios e possibilidades

“…Dentre as opções de tratamento disponibilizas, podem ser citadas a acupuntura, fisioterapia, terapias comportamentais, fotobiomodulação, uso de fármacos (Sobral et al, 2021), placa oclusal, osteopatia (Ram, & Shah, 2021), injeções articulares de ácido hialurônico, injeções musculares de toxina botulínica (Kuć et al, 2021) e cirurgias. Contudo, intervenções invasivas devem ser usadas apenas quando as medidas conservadoras falharem, considerando que, na maioria das vezes, o tratamento conservador consegue amenizar os sintomas (Sung et al, 2021).…”

Trends in Clinical Studies Including LI4 Acupoint Stimulation in Korean Journals

“…나 등은 합곡과 부류(KI7) 자침이 땀의 분비를 억제하고 족삼리(ST36)와 합곡 자침이 치통을 억제한 다는 연구 결과를 발표하였고 3,4) , 장 등은 합곡과 수삼리(LI10) 자 하거약침이 수부냉증을 치료함을 보고하였으며 5) , 변 등은 합곡에 대한 애엽 약침이 대장염을 완화한다는 연구 결과를 발표하였다 6) . 또한 체계적 문헌고찰에서 턱관절장애, 소아발작질환, 열성경련, 뇌졸중 후 연하장애, 비정상 자궁 출혈 등 다양한 질환에 합곡이 널리 사용되고 있음을 언급하는 등 [7][8][9][10][11] , 합곡의 효능을 입증하는 연구 결과가 지속적으로 발표되고 있다.…”