A Randomized Clinical Study
Emanuela Serritella, Gabriella Galluccio, [...], and Carlo Di Paolo
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(Ref ID): PMC8632462
Chosen Image filename: PMC8632462_Figure_02.jpg
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This is a summary of the research paper titled “Comparison of the Effectiveness of Three Different Acupuncture Methods for TMD-Related Pain: A Randomized Clinical Study”. The paper evaluates the effectiveness of three types of acupuncture methods for patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD)-related pain. The study was published in the Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine journal in 2021.
The main research question of the study is to determine the comparative effectiveness of three acupuncture methods – body acupuncture, electroacupuncture, acupuncture + cupping – for pain relief in patients with TMD. The study also aimed to evaluate the effects of these treatments on pain-related disability and the effectiveness of treatment.
The research design used in the study was a randomized clinical trial. Sixty patients were randomly assigned to one of the three treatment groups (20 patients in each). The participants' pain levels, pain-related disability, and the effectiveness of treatment were recorded using various scales during and after the acupuncture sessions.
The findings of the research indicate that all three acupuncture methods were effective in reducing pain and pain interference in common activities and quality of life in patients with TMD. However, no significant difference was observed between the treatment groups in terms of the improvement of TMDs-related pain according to the different acupuncture techniques.
The study suggested that acupuncture methods are effective in reducing TMD-related pain levels and improving the patients' quality of life. Electroacupuncture was found to be significantly more effective than the other two methods in improving the interference of pain with the patient's mood and quality of sleep.
While the study shows promising results for reducing TMD-related pain using acupuncture, the sample size of the study was relatively small, which limits the generalization of the findings to a larger population. Further studies with larger sample sizes are required for definitive conclusions.
In conclusion, the study indicates that acupuncture is an effective alternative therapeutic approach for the management of TMD-related pain. The findings of the study may help clinicians in choosing the most effective acupuncture method for each patient.
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