Acupuncture on anxiety and inflammatory events following surgery of mandibular third molars: a split-mouth, randomized, triple-blind clinical trial

Prior acupuncture experience among elderly participants enrolled in a clinical trial of acupuncture for chronic low back pain: Implications for future trials

Background

The effectiveness of acupuncture for chronic low back pain (cLBP) has not been studied specifically in the 65-and-older population. To inform the validity and generalizability of future acupuncture studies among older adults, we characterized elderly participants' prior experience with and views toward acupuncture and tested for clinical and sociodemographic differences between acupuncture-naïve and non-naïve participants.

Methods

Data for this study were collected during the baseline telephone interview from the participants enrolled in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California site of an NIH-funded, multicenter clinical trial of acupuncture for cLBP in older adults.

Results

Nearly two-thirds (65.6 %) of participants surveyed reported they had previously received acupuncture treatment with the vast majority seeking acupuncture treatment for pain-related issues (84.8 %). The majority of these participants reported relatively modest levels of exposure to acupuncture with most participants (63.1 %) reporting fewer than 10 treatment sessions over their lifetimes. There were no significant differences in age, sex, race, ethnicity, disability scores, income levels, or pain levels between the acupuncture-naïve and non-naïve groups.

Conclusion

Contextual consideration for prior acupuncture utilization rates is warranted and may be higher than expected or previously reported. We found few differences in baseline characteristics between participants who were acupuncture-naïve and those with prior acupuncture experience; thus, future pragmatic clinical trials might relax previous acupuncture-use considerations in their recruitment criteria. For trials focused on acupuncture-naive patients, it may be more feasible to expand the definition of "acupuncture-naive" based on lifetime acupuncture visits or time since last treatment.

Trial registration

The protocol was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (#NCT04982315).

Low-level laser therapy and laser acupuncture therapy for pain relief after initial archwire placement : A randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVE

Pain is among the most unpleasant experience during fixed orthodontic therapy. This study compared the effectiveness of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and laser acupuncture therapy (LAT) in pain reduction after initial archwire placement.

METHODS

This randomized, parallel-group, single-blind clinical trial included 60 female patients who required four premolar extractions to relieve crowding. The subjects were randomly designated into four groups of 15. After placement of the initial orthodontic archwire, patients in group 1 took ibuprofen (400 mg), whereas those in group 2 received LLLT (808 nm, 200 mW, 2 J/cm2) on both buccal and lingual sides of the teeth. In group 3 (LAT), the laser (808 nm, 200 mW, 24 J/cm2) was applied bilaterally to acupuncture points (SI 18, ST 6, LI 4, SJ 2, and SJ 5). Subjects in group 4 received placebo laser treatment. Patients were requested to record the intensity of spontaneous pain, pain while biting with anterior teeth, and pain while biting with posterior teeth at different times using a visual analogue scale (VAS).

RESULTS

The intensity of spontaneous and biting pain increased up to the first or second days following initial archwire placement and diminished to a negligible value by the seventh day. No significant difference was found between the study groups concerning spontaneous and biting pain at any timepoint of investigation (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

With the protocols used in the study, low-level laser therapy and laser acupuncture therapy were as effective as ibuprofen and placebo laser treatment for pain reduction in orthodontic patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

IRCT, IRCT20200622047886N1. Registered 2020-06-29; https://www.irct.ir/trial/49121.

Complementary and alternative therapies for managing postoperative pain after lower third molar surgery: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of complementary and alternative treatments on postoperative pain following lower third molar surgeries.

METHODS

A comprehensive search of Electronic databases (Embase, MEDLINE via PubMed, and Cochrane Library) and grey literature was conducted up until May 2022. Randomized clinical trials investigating the effect of acupuncture, ozone therapy, laser (LLLT), drainage tube, kinesio-taping, ice therapy, and compressions on pain after LTM surgeries were included. The estimated mean differences (MD) for alternative therapies were pooled using the frequentist approach to random-model network meta-analysis NMA.

RESULTS

Eighty-two papers were included in the qualitative analysis; 33 of them were included in the quantitative analyzes. NMA revealed that drainage tube and kinesio-taping were superior in controlling pain 24-hours postoperatively than no-treatment. At 48-hours follow-up, kinesio-taping and LLLT more effective than placebo and drainage tube; and kinesio-taping and LLLT were superior to no treatment. At 72 h postoperatively, ozone therapy was superior to placebo; and drainage tube, kinesio-taping, and LLLT were better than no treatment. At 7-days follow-up, ozone and LLLT were superior to placebo; and LLLT and kinesio-taping were superior to no treatment. The SUCRA-ranking placed drainage tube as top-ranking intervention at 48-hours (98.2%) and 72-hours (96%) follow-ups, and ozone (83.5%) at 7-days follow-up.

CONCLUSION

The study findings suggest that these alternative and complementary therapies may be useful in reducing postoperative pain after LTM surgeries, and may offer advantages when combined to traditional pain management methods.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Non-pharmacological therapies are gaining popularity among healthcare professionals and patients. This study found that some of these therapies, specifically kinesio-taping and drainage tube were effective in controlling postoperative pain after third molar surgeries. These findings have important implications for clinical practice, as they highlight the potential benefits of incorporating these therapies into postoperative pain management plans.

Does watching an informative video reduce the anxiety in patients undergoing third molar surgery: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

PURPOSE

Dental anxiety (DA) is characterized by the expression of tension, stress, apprehension, irritation, anger, and frustration experienced by patients during dental appointment. The objective of this study was to systematically review the literature to assess the effectiveness of the use of informative videos in reducing DA in patients undergoing 3 M surgeries.

METHODS

Searches were carried out on MEDLINE (via PubMed), the Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), the Virtual Health Library (VHL), and the Web of Science. Articles published until November 20, 2021, were included. There were no restrictions on the data or language of publication.

RESULTS

A total of 9 randomized clinical trials were included in this review, and five studies were included in the meta-analysis, comprising 529 patients. There was no significant difference in DA between the groups in the baseline when it was evaluated by any of the tools, indicating sample balancing at the beginning of the study. After intervention (video vs. verbal and/or written orientation) in the preoperative period, DA was assessed again; however, there was no difference in DA between the groups when assessed by the MDAS or STAI-S tools. After 3 M removals, the DA was still not significantly different between the groups when measured by the different considered tools.

CONCLUSION

Informative videos addressing 3 M removal surgeries used in the preoperative period did not show an influence on the reduction of pre- and postoperative DA when compared to the verbal and/or written informative presentation.

Efficacy of auriculotherapy in the control of pain, edema, and trismus following surgical extraction of the lower third molars: a split-mouth, randomized, placebo-controlled, and triple-blind study

BACKGROUND

The aim of this split-mouth, randomized, placebo-controlled, and triple-blind study was to evaluate whether auriculotherapy had any effect on the post-operative course after the extraction of third molars in terms of the control of pain, edema, and trismus.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study included 42 patients (84 teeth) who had undergone a surgical extraction of the lower third molars. In each patient, the two extractions were randomly assigned to two study groups. In the therapy group, the patients underwent auriculotherapy with vaccaria seeds applied with patches in 6 ear points. In the control group, the patches were applied, without seeds, to the same ear points. After the extraction, the patients were asked to stimulate the ear points three times a day and whenever they felt pain. The patients were asked to keep a diary in which they assessed their pain by means of the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for 8 days. Edema and trismus were assessed 1, 2, 3, and 8 days after surgery.

RESULTS

The differences between the two groups were statistically significant at the 12-h control (auriculotherapy group (AG) VAS 5.5 [IQR 4.25-6.75], placebo group (PG) VAS 6 [IQR 5-8], p = 0.040), after 24 h (AG VAS 5 [IQR 4-6], PG VAS 6 [IQR 4.25-7], p = 0.024), after 2 days (AG VAS 4 [IQR 3-5], PG VAS 4.5 [IQR 4-6], p = 0.044), and after 3 days (AG VAS 3 [IQR 0-5], PG VAS 4 [IQR 3-5], p = 0.024). Throughout the observation period, the AG took a significantly lower number of painkillers than the PG (AG 6 [IQR 4.25-7]; PG 8 [IQR 8-9], p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the levels of edema and trismus between the two groups throughout the observation period.

CONCLUSIONS

On the basis of the results of the present study, auriculotherapy can be considered as a cost-effective adjuvant pain reliever treatment in patients undergoing an extraction of the lower third molars.

Comparison of suture and sutureless techniques on postoperative complications after third molar surgery: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To compare, among patients undergoing third molar surgeries, whether the use or omission of sutures improves postoperative clinical parameters.

METHOD

A systematic literature review was conducted to identify randomized clinical trials in humans. The steps of this review were conducted following the PRISMA protocol. The risk of bias assessment was performed using the revised Cochrane tool (RoB 2). The RevMan software was employed for meta-analyses, and the quality of evidence was evaluated using GRADE.

RESULT

A total of seven articles were included in the systematic review; however, only one article quantitatively measured bleeding, rendering meta-analysis for this outcome unfeasible. The group of patients in whom sutures were not used presented lower pain and edema on the first day (respectively: MD - 1.08; 95% CI - 1.35 to - 0.81; MD - 1.23; 95% CI - 2.34 to - 0.11) and second day (respectively: MD - 0.50; 95% CI - 0.83 to - 0.17; MD - 10.66; 95% CI - 1.16 to - 0.16) postoperatively, compared to the group where sutures were employed. The group of patients who received sutures exhibited increased trismus on the first day postoperatively (MD 1.04; 95% CI 0.67 to 1.41).

CONCLUSION

The omission of postoperative sutures in third molar surgeries appears to favor pain and edema outcomes within the first 24 h after the procedure, as well as trismus within the same timeframe.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Despite the suture being the standard conduct in tooth extractions. The omission of sutures in third molar extractions may favor inflammatory outcomes of pain, edema, and trismus in the immediate postoperative period.

Effectiveness of low-level laser therapy in reducing pain perception of children during dental local anesthetic administration using laser acupuncture pen on the LI4 point: a randomized clinical trial

PURPOSE

Laser acupuncture, a non-invasive variant of acupuncture, has been proven effective in the medical and dental fields. Hence, the present study aims to determine the effect of low-level laser therapy on the LI4 point, using a laser acupuncture pen, in reducing children's pain during local anesthetic (LA) administration.

METHODS

Children in the age range of 8-12 years, in need of LA administration, were randomly assigned to two groups: Group I: laser acupuncture, Group II: control. For all the children, baseline simplified Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale-Faces version (MCDAS_(f)) was recorded, followed by laser acupuncture or standard care. Following the conventional protocol, LA was administered. The procedural pain was assessed using the Faces, Legs, Activity, Cry and Consolability scale (FLACC) and Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R). All the variations in pulse rate were recorded from baseline to the completion of LA administration. After the procedure, simplified MCDAS_(f) was recorded one more time. The data were tabulated and analyzed statistically.

RESULTS

A significant reduction in anxiety after LA administration, as observed in MCDAS_(f) score, was noticed only in the laser acupuncture group. The pain scores, as reported in FPS-R, were low in children randomized to the laser group compared to the control. The FLACC pain scores also showed low values in the experimental group.

CONCLUSION

Based on the study findings, within the limitations, low-level laser therapy using a laser acupuncture pen can reduce the pain perception of children undergoing LA administration and alleviate dental anxiety.

Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Reducing Fear and Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Third Molar Extraction under Local Anesthesia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This report investigated the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions for reducing dental fear and anxiety in patients undergoing third molar extraction under local anesthesia. In November 2020, multiple electronic databases (Cochrane, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycInfo, PsycArticles, PubMed, and Web of Science) were searched for articles published in English. Inclusion criteria were randomized-controlled trials reporting the effectiveness of any non-pharmacological interventions in reducing fear or anxiety levels in patients with third molar extraction. A total of 3015 studies by electronic search and 2 studies by hand search were identified. After screening, 21 studies were eligible for systematic review. Seven studies were included in the meta-analysis. Study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment of the included studies were performed by two independent investigators. The anxiety levels after intervention in each study were pooled and meta-analyzed by the random-effect model. A significant reduction in anxiety level was observed in non-pharmacological intervention groups (SMD = -0.32; 95% CI -0.57 to -0.07; p = 0.01). Subgroup analyses showed that a significant anxiety reduction by non-pharmacological interventions could be demonstrated by pooled data from studies using psychometric assessments, but not from studies using physiological assessments. Non-pharmacological interventions appear to reduce fear and anxiety levels in patients undergoing third molar extraction under local anesthesia.

Perioperative Acupuncture Optimizes Surgical Outcomes: Theory, Clinical Practice and Future Perspectives

A growing body of evidence supports the use of perioperative acupuncture as part of an enhanced postsurgical recovery protocol. Data from both clinical trials and animal studies has shown that the integration of acupuncture into perioperative patient care leads to a reduction of perioperative complications such as preoperative anxiety, intraoperative hemodynamic instability, postoperative pain, postoperative cognitive dysfunction, and postoperative nausea and vomiting in surgical patients. Despite these favorable outcomes, perioperative acupuncture has yet to be widely adopted in current anesthesia practice. This review summarized data from clinical perioperative acupuncture studies and cites recent discoveries regarding the anatomical location and characteristics of acupoint(s), acupuncture stimulation techniques, and treatment practice protocols, as well as identified the areas of deficiency in perioperative acupuncture applications. To facilitate acupuncture integration in perioperative care practice, the authors propose to establish a perioperative acupuncture registry which can be used for data mining as well as a resource for studying the underlying mechanisms of acupuncture. Through this acupuncture registry, clinical guidelines and research protocols can be established, additional large/multi-center clinical and pragmatic trials can be easily performed to determine if the integration and expansion of perioperative acupuncture practice is cost-effective.

Does kinesio taping reduce pain, swelling, and trismus after mandibular third molar surgery? A systematic review and meta-analysis

The aim of this study is to provide an evidence-based conclusion regarding the effectiveness of kinesio taping (KT) in reducing postsurgical discomforts after mandibular third molar surgery and critically appraise the available literature. Eligible clinical trials evaluating patients older than 18 years who were treated with any type of KT compared to no taping in which pain, swelling, or trismus scores were reported were included. An electronic literature search was carried out in the following databases to identify relevant papers up to May 30, 2021: Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, and Scopus. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2.0). The effect sizes were calculated using mean difference (MD) and standardized mean difference (SMD). The heterogeneity analysis was conducted using (I²) statistic at alpha = 0.10 (PROSPERO; CRD42021252670). Nine randomized clinical trials with 444 participants were included in the qualitative analysis and eight in the quantitative analysis. The results of the meta-analysis revealed a statistically significant reduction in pain and swelling scores before the 7th postoperative day. On the 7th postoperative day, no significant difference was observed between KT and control groups in terms of pain and swelling. Additionally, KT led to an increase in patients' maximum mouth opening of more than 3 mm in postoperative intervals. KT is effective in reducing postoperative pain within the first 48 h after surgery and improving mouth opening during all postoperative intervals with moderate to high certainty of evidence.

Efficacy of adjuvant ozone therapy in reducing postsurgical complications following impacted mandibular third-molar surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Results from several randomized controlled trials have shown a beneficial effect of ozone in reducing postsurgical complications after impacted mandibular third-molar surgery, but the literature is lacking a systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

The authors conducted this systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines after exclusion and inclusion criteria were applied and the following outcome parameters were evaluated: pain, swelling, trismus, quality of life, number of analgesics consumed, and adverse events. RevMan Cochrane Collaboration software, Version 5.3, was used to perform meta-analysis and the Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach was used to rate the certainty of evidence.

RESULTS

Patients who underwent adjuvant ozone application reported lower pain scores than patients in the control group at 24 hours after surgery (95% CI, -3.94 to -1.56) and at 7 days (95% CI, -1.67 to -0.78). Pooled analysis of all 4 included trials revealed a standardized mean difference (SMD) in swelling of -0.44 at 24 hours, 0.63 at 72 hours, and -0.87 at 7 days after surgery in the experimental group. Higher mean estimates in mouth opening were experienced by patients who received ozone at 24 hours (SMD, 2.74; 95% CI, -1.93 to 7.41; 4 studies, 133 patients), 72 hours (SMD, 2.77; 95% CI, -0.63 to 6.17; 4 studies, 133 patients), and 7 days after surgery (SMD, 1.42 SMD; 95% CI, -1.34 to 4.18; 4 studies, 133 patients).

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Evidence suggests that adjuvant ozone application can offer some benefit for reducing pain, improving quality of life, and decreasing mean intake of analgesics after impacted mandibular third-molar surgery, but it is not effective in reducing facial swelling and trismus, which paves the way for future research.

Effect of Photobiomodulation on the Incidence of Alveolar Osteitis and Postoperative Pain following Mandibular Third Molar Surgery: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

The current study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of photobiomodulation therapy for the prevention of incidence of alveolar osteitis (AO) and postoperative pain following third molar surgery. In this double-blind clinical trial, the impacted teeth of patients having bilateral impacted mandibular third molars were surgically extracted; for each participant, one socket was randomly assigned to receive photobiomodulation treatment, the other received sham treatment. 660 nm 200 mW CW was applied at a distance of ~1cm to 4 points on the occlusal area of extraction socket (beam area at the tissue ~0.64 cm² , 312.5 mW cm^-2 , 1J, 1.6 J cm^-2 ). Also, 810 nm 200 mW CW was applied at tissue surface at three points on the buccal and three points on the lingual gingiva, for 15 s (400 mW cm^-2 , 3 J, 6 J cm^-2 ). There was a statistically meaningful difference in AO frequency between the two groups, and the photobiomodulation group showed lower AO frequency compared with the sham PBM treatment (P-value = 0.035). According to the findings of this study, photobiomodulation therapy reduced the incidence of AO following surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars. The incidence of AO typically occurs 3-7 days post-extraction, and our results suggest that PBM treatment within the 7 days could help reduce the risk of AO development.

Variations in reporting of clinician-reported outcome measures in third molar surgery: A focused review

Clinician-reported outcome measures (ClinRO measures) play a fundamental role in quality assurance throughout healthcare systems. With commissioners turning ever more frequently to ClinRO data to evaluate and compare individual hospital performance and casemix, and funding decisions increasingly relying on these data, agreed core outcome sets (COS) are essential for the collection of standardised specialty-specific outcomes. Beyond their role in service commissioning, COS enable standardisation of outcomes in clinical studies, allowing comparisons to be drawn between similar trials as well as pooling of data for systematic reviews and metaanalyses. This review explores those ClinRO measures most commonly reported in the third molar literature, highlighting inconsistencies in ClinRO selection, measurement and reporting among researchers. We recognise here a prime opportunity for the specialty to address this lag in COS relative to other surgical specialties. With the Quality Outcomes in Maxillofacial Surgery (QOMS) overseeing the institution of many subspecialty-specific national databases in recent years, OMFS is well placed to develop a series of COS for each subspecialty domain for the benefit of researchers, clinicians and ultimately, patients.

Photobiomodulation therapy reduces postoperative pain after third molar extractions: A randomized clinical trial

Background

To assess the efficacy of PBMT on reducing postoperative pain scores in patients submitted to third molar extractions.

Material and Methods

A randomized controlled trial (ReBEC:RBR-94BCKZ) was designed according to the SPIRIT and followed the CONSORT. Patients were randomly allocated according to control or PBMT groups. PBMT consisted of the application of GaAlAs laser (808nm;50mW) applied in six points (1.23 min;11 J/cm2) after extraction. Pain scores were assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) in millimeters evaluated after 6 (T6), 24 (T24), and 48 (T48) hours. The Wilcoxon Mann–Whitney test was used to check for possible associations between VAS scores and treatment groups.

Results

A total of 101 third molar extractions were performed in 44 patients. The mean age was 28 years old(SD±11.54). Comparing control and intervention, PBMT group showed a significant effect on the reduction of postoperative pain at T6(mean VAS=0.9; C.I:0.63–1.16) compared to control (mean VAS=2.5;C.I:2.1–2.88)(p<0.001). The same statistically significant effect on the reduction of postoperative pain was observed at T24 (PBMT mean VAS=0.72;C.I:0.51–0.93; control mean VAS=2.86;C.I:2.40–3.31;p<0.001) and T48 (PBMT mean VAS=0.64;C.I:0.36–0.92; control mean VAS=2.86;C.I:2.37–3.34;p<0.001).

Conclusions

PBMT significantly reduce the postoperative pain scores when assessed 6, 24, and 48 hours after third molar extractions.

Key words:Controlled clinical trial, gallium aluminium arsenide lasers, third molar.

Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Methods of Postoperative Pain Control Following Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: A Scoping Review

PURPOSE

To conduct a scoping review regarding current pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods of postoperative pain control following oral and maxillofacial surgery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

PubMed was used to conduct research for this study. Identification criteria included surgery: patients undergoing the extraction of third molars; therapy: pharmacological or non-pharmacological methods; and outcomes: postoperative pain control. The search included full-text RCTs published after October 13, 2014, that were electronically accessible on PubMed and in the English language. After assessing quality, a scoping review was performed.

RESULTS

Thirty-five RCTs were evaluated, which included a total of 3,791 subjects. The studies evaluated patients' postoperative pain by either utilizing a visual analogue scale (VAS), measuring the time between surgery and when rescue analgesics were used, measuring the amount of rescue analgesics used, or by distributing questionnaires.

CONCLUSION

COX-2 inhibitors may provide greater analgesic effects compared to traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Additionally, although the supplementation of an opioid analgesic to a NSAID regimen provides an increase in pain control, it does not further reduce pain levels in a patient alternating between ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Other methods of postoperative pain control mentioned in this review should be further explored in studies that contain larger sample sizes and that evaluate side effects of the treatment.

Effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for anxiety disorder of coronavirus disease 2019: A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Anxiety disorder places a heavy burden in the clinical treatment of patients of COVID-19. Acupuncture is a recommended treatment of COVID-19 in China, and clinical researches showed the effectiveness of acupuncture. We will conduct this systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for COVID-19.

METHODS

Electronic databases of Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical literature Database (CBM), Chinese Scientific and Journal Database (VIP), and Wan Fang database (Wanfang) will be searched for randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for anxiety disorder of COVID-19 from inception of the database to August 10, 2020. Two reviewers will screen studies, collect information independently. We will utilize RevMan 5.3 for meta-analysis.

RESULTS

We will publish the study result to a peer-reviewed journal.

CONCLUSION

This study will contribute to provide high-quality evidence of acupuncture for anxiety disorder of COVID-19.

The Effectiveness of Hyaluronic Acid in Controlling Pain, Edema, and Trismus After Extraction of Third Molars: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This study aimed to evaluate the clinical evidence of hyaluronic acid (HA) in minimizing inflammatory parameters such as pain, edema, and trismus after extraction of third molar (3M). An electronic search was conducted in 4 databases. The eligibility criteria included clinical trials that used HA compared with placebo or no treatment after 3M surgeries. The search strategy resulted in 752 references, of which 5 studies were included comprising 271 patients. Regarding the risk of bias analysis, most criteria were rated as low or unclear risk of bias. All the evaluated studies were classified as low risk of bias in the selective reporting criteria. The final quantitative analysis of the variables showed that the use of HA resulted in a greater reduction of pain levels on the third (mean difference = -0.68; 95% confidence interval, -1.20 to -0.17) and seventh (mean difference = -0.36; 95% confidence interval, -0.64 to -0.09) postoperative days. There are no differences between the analyzed groups in relation to trismus. It was not possible to conduct meta-analysis for the edema variable because of the heterogeneity of the methods of measurement. The results suggest that HA seems to provide a lower average pain on the third and seventh postoperative days and has no influence on postoperative trismus after extraction of 3Ms; however, more research with stronger methodology is needed to determine its efficacy.

Effectiveness of Acupuncture in Dental Surgery: A Randomized, Crossover, Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this crossover clinical study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Energy Regulation with Acupuncture in clinical occurrences in impacted lower third molar surgeries.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 22 patients with two impacted third molars, in symmetrical position; divided into two groups: Test Group (TG) with Real Energy Regulation Group and Sham Group (SG) with Acupuncture without Energy Regulation function. The extraction was performed 30 days apart. Energy flow (Ryodoraku Method) and energy regulation performed before extraction were measured. Heart Rate (HR) and Blood Pressure (BP) were evaluated before and after energy regulation and after surgery, residual edema was measured by facial measurements (angle of the mandible to tragus (A-T); angle of the mandible to labial commissure (A-LC); angle of the mandible to the wing of the nose (A-WN); angle of the mandible to the corner of the eye (A-CE); angle of the mandible to the chin (A-C); and mouth opening by the interincisal distance, before and after seven days of surgery. To quantify intraoperative bleeding (ml), blood was aspirated along with the saline solution using a portable vacuum pump adaptor. The amount of saline solution used was subtracted from the final amount of aspirated fluid.

RESULTS

Mean of bleeding was lower in TG (p = 0.0392). There were significant differences between groups in facial distances: A-LC (p = 0.010), A-WN (p = 0.030) and A-C (p = 0.008).

CONCLUSION

Energy regulation with real acupuncture was effective in reducing postoperative residual edema and intraoperative bleeding.

Envelope or triangular flap for surgical removal of third molars? A systematic review and meta-analysis

The aim of this systematic review was to compare the triangular and envelope flaps in mandibular third molar surgery with regard to pain, oedema, and trismus. Secondary outcomes assessed were dehiscence, ecchymosis, alveolar osteitis, periodontal condition, and surgical time. The PRISMA guidelines and recommendations in the Cochrane Handbook were followed, and the review was registered before commencement (PROSPERO; CRD42018112373). The literature search was conducted in the Web of Science, PubMed, Virtual Health Library, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases and in the grey literature; randomized clinical trials, indexed through November 2018 were included. Three reviewers independently examined the studies. Twenty studies were included in the qualitative analysis, of which 18 were included in the meta-analyses. The flap design did not influence pain, oedema, trismus, dehiscence, or osteitis. The triangular flap was associated with a greater occurrence of postoperative ecchymosis (odds ratio 4.58, 95% confidence interval 1.34 to 15.91, I²=0) and lower periodontal probing depth on day 7 postoperative (standardized mean difference -1.36, 95% confidence interval -2.68 to -0.03, I²=88%) when compared to the envelope flap in mandibular third molar surgeries.

Use of piezoelectric surgery and Er:YAG laser:which one is more effective during impacted third molar surgery?

Background

Reduction in postoperative complications is of vital considerations in impacted third molar teeth surgery. The aim of this study was to compare postoperative complications of impacted third molar surgeries for bone removal using laser, piezoelectric equipment, and conventional rotary instruments.

Methods

To address the research purpose, the investigator designed the prospective double-blind clinical trial study. The sample size was determined 20 (40 teeth) by sampling formula in any kind of operation. The data of patients were obtained in the different periods in terms of pain, trismus, swelling, ecchymosis, and patient's satisfaction and then analyzed using SPSS 20 software via paired t test and Wilcoxon and McNemar's tests.

Results

The pain immediately after surgery and 2 days and 7 days after surgery was higher in the laser group. The swelling immediately after surgery was more in the laser group but not significant. The amount of mouth opening immediately after surgery and 2 days and 7 days after surgery was significantly lower in the laser group than in the piezosurgery group. The total duration of surgery and duration of osteotomy were significantly longer in the laser group. The patient's satisfaction from surgery with piezosurgery was more than that with laser, but this difference was not significant.

Conclusion

Due to the rising demand for impacted wisdom tooth surgery, the present study suggests that hard tissue laser surgery and piezosurgery can clear the future of impacted molar surgery, and these approaches are more efficient in reducing postoperative complications compared to the conventional surgeries.