The use of acupuncture as an alternative dental analgesic in an individual with multiple allergies.

Reports of the use of acupuncture in the extraction of teeth date back to 1958. There have been many conflicting findings relating to the efficacy of dental acupuncture with few effective controlled studies evaluating these claims. It is clear however that acupuncture analgesia which is adequate for dental extractions may be produced in some individuals. Patients with atopic diseases have in common an inherited predisposition to develop hypersensitivity to allergens in the environment which are harmless to most people. Atopic diseases include common human allergic disorders such as hayfever, asthma, eczema, urticaria, gastro-intestinal food reactions as well as rarer conditions. It has been reported that acupuncture may be of advantage in such individuals who may be hypersensitive to routine methods of producing analgesia. A case is described of the use of acupuncture analgesia in an atopic individual who was being managed by the department of oral surgery, Danderyds Hospital. Two lower molar teeth were successfully surgically extracted. The case is described in detail and recommendations are made for further research and clinical use of acupuncture analgesia.