Maxillofacial Surgery Operative Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy.
Biomedical Science Department, PhD School of Biomedical Science, University of Sassari, Viale San Pietro 43B, Sassari, Italy.
Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2024 Mar;28(1):279-287. doi: 10.1007/s10006-023-01140-y. Epub 2023 Feb 3.
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.
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.
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.
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.
本研究采用随机、安慰剂对照、三盲设计，旨在评估耳针疗法是否能控制下颌第三磨牙拔除术后疼痛、肿胀和牙关紧闭等方面的术后进程。
本研究纳入了 42 名（84 颗牙）接受下颌第三磨牙外科拔牙的患者。每例患者的两次拔牙均随机分配到两组研究中。在治疗组中，患者采用耳针疗法，在 6 个耳部穴位上贴敷贴剂，内有王不留行籽。在对照组中，也在相同的耳部穴位上贴敷贴剂，但无籽。拔牙后，患者被要求每天刺激耳部穴位 3 次，当感到疼痛时也可刺激。患者需每天记录疼痛情况，采用视觉模拟评分法（VAS）评估疼痛，共记录 8 天。术后 1、2、3 和 8 天评估肿胀和牙关紧闭情况。
两组患者在 12 小时的对照（耳针组（AG）VAS 5.5[四分位距 4.25-6.75]，安慰剂组（PG）VAS 6[四分位距 5-8]，p=0.040）、24 小时（AG VAS 5[四分位距 4-6]，PG VAS 6[四分位距 4.25-7]，p=0.024）、2 天（AG VAS 4[四分位距 3-5]，PG VAS 4.5[四分位距 4-6]，p=0.044）和 3 天（AG VAS 3[四分位距 0-5]，PG VAS 4[四分位距 3-5]，p=0.024）时的差异具有统计学意义。在整个观察期间，AG 组服用的止痛药数量明显少于 PG 组（AG 6[四分位距 4.25-7]；PG 8[四分位距 8-9]，p<0.001）。在整个观察期间，两组患者的肿胀和牙关紧闭程度均无显著差异。
基于本研究的结果，耳针疗法可被视为下颌第三磨牙拔除术后患者一种经济有效的辅助止痛治疗方法。
