Table 2.
Table of characteristics of studies that compared acupuncture treatment with an active control group.
| Author, year | Population (Age, Sex, and Geographic location) | Signs and Symptoms | Intervention | Comparison | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrero et al., 2012 | 20 patients females and males between 18 and 58 years. Department of Stomatology and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the Hospital Insular de Gran Canaria, Spain. |
Pain on palpation of the TMJ or muscles of mastication; restriction or deviation of mandibular movement; headache; or joint noise were present for at least 3 months. |
Treatment protocol: needle puncture acupuncture; Acupoints: Local: EX-HN5, SJ 21, GB 2, SJ 17, ST 6. Distal: LI 4, ST 36, SJ5, and GB34. Frequency and duration: 15 sessions of 30 min for 5 weeks.; |
Treatment protocol: decompression splints; Characteristics splint: Stable occlusion with a maximum number of contacts, Canine guidance, Absence of contacts on the nonworking side. Frequency and duration: Only overnight for 5 weeks. |
Assessment method: Sensitivity to pressure on areas: preauricular, masseter, temporal, and trapezius muscles by algometer by VAS. Follow-up: no. Palpation pain before treatment: NS. Palpation pain after treatment: NS. Patients treated with acupuncture showed a significant reduction in pain on muscle palpation before and after treatment (P < 0.05) in the short term. Different from patients treated with decompression splints who showed subjective improvement without statistical significance. |
| Ferreira et al., 2013 | 40 patients females between 20 and 40 years. Diagnostic and Guidance Center for Patients with Temporomandibular Disorders of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil. |
Myofascial pain and arthralgia were present for at least 6 months. |
Treatment protocol: reversible occlusal splint and laser acupuncture; Characteristics splint: NS. Acupoints: Local: EX-HN3, SI 19, ST 6, GB 20. Distal: TE 3, LI 4, LR 3, GB 34. Laser intensity: wavelength of 780 nm and 50 mW. Frequency and duration: 12 sessions of 90 s at each point and OD at night for 12 weeks. |
Treatment protocol: reversible occlusal splint and laser placebo; Characteristics splint: NS. Acupoints: Local: EX-HN3, SI 19, ST 6, GB 20. Distal: TE 3, LI 4, LR 3, GB 34. Laser intensity: no radiation. Frequency and duration: 12 sessions of 90 s at each point and OD at night for 12 weeks. |
Assessment method: Pain intensity and pain on palpation on areas: temporal, masseter, stylohyoid and posterior digastric; medial pterygoid, suprahyoid, and anterior digastric; lateral pole of the mandibular condyle; posterior attachment of the TMJ; lateral pterygoid; and tendon of temporalis by VAS (0-10); Follow-up: no. Subjective pain and palpation pain before treatment: CG and EG: 7–10 VAS. Subjective pain and palpation pain after treatment: CG: 1–4 VAS, EG: 0 VAS. There was a reduction in both groups (P < 0.001). LA and OD treatment promoted pain remission attributed to the effects of acupuncture. |
| Ferreira et al., 2015 | 20 patients females between 18 and 56 years. School of Dentistry of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil. | Pain in at least four orofacial structures and/or eccentric bruxism for at least 6 months. |
Treatment protocol: occlusal splint and needle puncture auricular acupuncture; Characteristics splint: just informed that it was acrylic. Auricular acupoints: Shen Men, Mouth, Kidney, Liver, Spleen; Maxillary and Jaw regions; and San Jiao. Frequency and duration: 5 sessions one per week for 50 min and OD at night for 5 weeks. |
Treatment protocol: occlusal splint; Characteristics splint: just informed that it was acrylic. Frequency and duration: at night for 5 weeks. |
Assessment method: Pain intensity after palpation (2.0 kg force in muscle and 1.5 kg in joint) on orofacial areas: medial and lateral pterygoid, masseter, and temporal muscles; and retrodiscal and lateral pole of the condyle joint; by VAS (0-10). Follow-up: no. Palpation pain before treatment: CG: 8-4 VAS and EG: 9-4 VAS. Palpation pain after treatment: CG: 6-1 VAS, EG: 3-0 VAS Pain reduced in both groups (P < 0.05). The AA and OD treatment promoted greater pain reduction in a shorter time. |
| Rodrigues et al., 2019 | 20 patients females ≥18 years. Western State University of Paraná, Brazil. | TMD with myofascial pain | Treatment protocol: auricular laser acupuncture; Auricular acupoints: Shen Men (1-C), TMJ (43-E), heart (60-CL). Laser intensity: wavelength of 904 nm and 50 mW. Frequency and duration: 8 sessions one per week for 24s each point. |
Treatment protocol: occlusal splint; Characteristics splint: just informed that it was adjusted after 48 h and 7 days. Frequency and duration: 8 h daily (overnight) for 8 weeks. |
Assessment method: Pain intensity after palpation (dynamometer) on orofacial areas: masseter, temporal, style hyoid, digastric, medial pterygoid, and suprahyoid; palpation manually lateral pterygoid and temporal tendon; and articular region (lateral pole of jaw and posterior ligament); by VAS. And vertical extension of the jaw by unassisted oral opening without pain, assisted mouth opening without pain, and assisted mouth opening with pain. Follow-up: no. Palpation pain before treatment: CG and EG: NS. Palpation pain after treatment: CG and EG: NS. Mouth opening before treatment: CG: 47.54 ± 8.59 and EG: 47.70 ± 6.60. Mouth opening after treatment: CG: 49.00 ± 6.93 and EG: 48.10 ± 3.90. Both groups showed improvements, with no differences between them. The parameters that showed significant improvements in pain were for CG (right temporal, right and left masseter, left joint, and left intraoral) and EG (left masseter, right and left joint, and right and left intraoral). And improves mouth opening. |
AA, auricular acupuncture; CG, control group; EG, experimental group; LA, laser acupuncture; NS, not specified; OD, occlusal device; VAS, visual analogue pain scale.