Acupuncture Helps Anxious Dental Patients

By Devaki

Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 16:36

A visit to the dentist provokes extreme fear and anxiety in many people. But a recent study suggests that acupuncture can prove helpful in the management of the uneasiness, related to dental treatment.

The fear and anxiety ahead of the dental visit is a condition termed odontophobia. Up to a third of patients report moderate anxiety at the prospect of dental treatment.

The authors conducted a wide research, involving a large number of dental patients. Each of the patients was moderately or extremely anxious about going to the dentist for treatment, as assessed by a validated questionnaire - the Back Anxiety Inventory (BAI).

All were in their 40s and had been trying to deal with this problem of dental fear, for between two and 30 years.

The BAI score was assessed before and after five minutes of acupuncture treatment, targeting two specific acupuncture points (GV20 and EX6) on the top of the head. The acupuncture was carried out by the dentists who are members of the British Dental Acupuncture Society.

The average BAI score of was very hopeful, as all patients were able to undergo their planned treatment. This was only been possible with a great deal of effort on the part of both dentist and patient, before.

The authors point out that several attempts have been made to conquer this type of anxiety, including sedatives, relaxation techniques, behavioural therapies, biofeedback and hypnosis. The research indicates that these methods do help, but they are time consuming. They also require considerable levels of psychotherapeutic skills, say the authors.

They caution that further larger studies are needed to confirm the value of acupuncture in these sorts of cases.