Section of Orthodontics, Department of Surgical, Oncology and Stomatologic Sciences, University of Palermo, , Palermo, Sicily, Italy.
Acupunct Med. 2014 Feb;32(1):24-7. doi: 10.1136/acupmed-2013-010377. Epub 2013 Nov 5.
Many patients avoid dental appointments because of severe gagging when they have work performed, such as taking impressions. There are several methods known to alleviate gagging, and some studies have suggested that acupuncture may be effective in reducing gag reflex. The aim of the present study therefore was to evaluate whether acupuncture can produce a reduction of the gag reflex.
A total of 20 patients, aged between 19 and 80 years, with history of gag reflex on taking dental impressions, were recruited. All patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria had an upper and lower dental alginate impression taken without acupuncture, and a second upper and lower alginate impression taken immediately after acupuncture based on traditional Chinese medicine. After each impression, the patients recorded their emetic sensation using a visual analogue scale (VAS).
The results showed a significant (p<0.05) reduction in the gag reflex scores after acupuncture. For upper impressions, they fell from 6.8 (1.1) to 1.1 (1.1); and for lower impressions, from 5.45 (1.0) to 0.4 (0.7) (mean (SD)).
The findings from our study suggest that acupuncture may be useful for preventing and treating gag reflex, and justifies further study.
许多患者在进行口腔治疗（如取印模）时会因严重的恶心而避免预约。有几种已知的方法可以缓解恶心，一些研究表明，针刺可能有助于减少咽反射。因此，本研究旨在评估针刺是否能减少咽反射。
共招募了 20 名年龄在 19 岁至 80 岁之间、有取牙印时出现咽反射史的患者。所有符合纳入标准的患者均先接受上下牙列藻酸盐印模，然后根据中医理论接受针刺，再立即接受上下牙列藻酸盐印模。每次印模后，患者使用视觉模拟量表（VAS）记录呕吐感。
结果显示，针刺后咽反射评分显著降低（p<0.05）。上印模的评分从 6.8（1.1）降至 1.1（1.1）；下印模的评分从 5.45（1.0）降至 0.4（0.7）（平均值（标准差））。
本研究结果表明，针刺可能有助于预防和治疗咽反射，值得进一步研究。
