Vera Lucia Rasera Zotelli

A Case Report on the Effect of Sham Acupuncture

When nausea, an extremely unpleasant symptom, is experienced during dental treatment, it generates disorders and obstacles for both the patient and the professional, compromising the good quality of dental care. Clinical studies have confirmed the antiemetic action of acupuncture and shown its use for the treatment of nausea and vomiting. In the scientific literature there are several recent studies that address the placebo effect of acupuncture. The aim of this manuscript is to present a case report of a 46-year-old Caucasian male patient, who had severe symptoms of nausea while undergoing dental care. Treatment with sham acupuncture (acupuncture simulation) obtained a positive result of nausea prevention. We will discuss three possible hypotheses concerning this result: (1) there was action of Deqi; (2) high expectations of the patient; and (3) association with specific learned response. The patient in this case report received nonpenetrating sham acupuncture at acupoint Neiguan (PC6), which resulted in the complete remission of nausea during an intra-oral impression-taking procedure, but it is unclear whether the placebo effect was triggered by the action of Deqi, the high expectations of the patient, an association with a learned response, or by the interaction of all these factors.

Perception of toothache in adults from state capitals and interior cities within the Brazilian geographic regions

BackgroundStudies emphasizing toothache in adulthood are scarce in Brazil. A greater understanding of both the prevalence and the self-perception of pain among individuals in this age group (35 to 44 years old) is important, especially considering that this is an economically active population. To describe reports of oral pain and oral pain-related aspects in from Brazilian state capitals and interior cities.MethodsThe sample comprised 9779 adults residing in the state capitals and interior cities from each Brazilian region in the SB Brazil 2010 report, regarding reports of oral pain and their intensity in the last 6 months. The descriptive analysis comparing pain reports between and within the regions and regression analysis of pain related to socioeconomic aspects per region were performed considering α=0.05 difference.ResultsThe highest prevalence of pain was found in the Southeast region (p<0.01), and there was also difference between the state capitals and interior cities in the South (p<0.01), where the prevalence was higher in the capitals, and in the Southeast, where the higher prevalence was in the interior cities (p=0.03). The Northern region had lower pain intensity than the Southeast and Midwest. Comparing pain intensity, only the Northeast region showed statistical difference between state capitals and the interior cities for pain intensity, where the interior cities had higher pain intensity than the three state capitals. Regarding dental office visitations, the Southeast capitals have the highest prevalence (100%) compared to the North and South. The toothache impact on daily activities was as follows: eating difficulty (29.8% to 72.7%), uncomfortable teeth brushing (over 50%), and sleep disturbance (above 13%). Between the Brazilian regions the socioeconomic aspects differ in relation to the pain; the exception being the association between pain, dental care and income, which occurred in the 5 regions. Users of public dental care services were more likely to present pain, comparing to private dental services, OR ranging from 1.72 in the Northeast to 2.85 in the Southeast.ConclusionThe prevalence of pain was higher among Brazilian adults, impacting some of the daily activities. The data also showed many differences in the prevalence and intensity of pain among both the Brazilian regions and the cities within the same region.

Use of Magnetic Neurostimulator Appliance in Temporomandibular Disorder

Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is ranked the second leading cause of orofacial pain after toothache, and there is no effective standard treatment for all cases. Therefore, much research has been conducted in the therapeutic areas of TMD, such as acupuncture and electrotherapy, for this purpose. The aim of this research was to evaluate application of the neuromagnetic stimulator device Haihua model CD-9, used within the precepts of acupuncture in treating TMD-related pain symptoms and limited mouth opening. Analysis and discussion of this study were based on pain intensity index and range of mouth-opening evaluation before and after each session. Nine patients diagnosed with muscle TMD, referred by the surgery sector of Center Dental Specialties (CEO - I) in Piracicaba-São Paulo participated in this research. Considering the simplicity of the technique and good results obtained, use of this device is suggested as an additional therapeutic tool for relief of TMD symptoms.

ESTUDO PILOTO SOBRE MEDIÇÃO OBJETIVA DOS RESULTADOS DA ACUPUNTURA EM DISFUNÇÃO TEMPOROMANDIBULAR

Bruna Teodoro dos santos*, Vera Lucia Rasera Zotelli, Jorge Eiji Sato, Maria da Luz Rosário de Sousa Resumo Trata-se de um estudo piloto com o objetivo de identificar, através de uma medida objetiva de energia obtida pelos gráficos Ryodoraku, o padrão energético de 8 pacientes de ambos os sexos, idade de 24 a 65 anos, com Disfunção Temporomandibular (DTM), atendidos no Centro de Especialidades odontológicas (CEO) do município de Piracicaba, antes e após a aplicação da acupuntura. Foi constatado que a grande maioria dos pacientes apresentou baixa energética antes da realização da acupuntura e que após a realização desta, também houve diminuição energética. Os resultados sugerem que os pacientes com DTM apresentaram uma deficiência de energia nos meridianos e que após a acupuntura para obter equilíbrio energético houve diminuição principalmente da energia Yang, na tentativa de promover um equilíbrio entre a energia Yin/Yang nestes pacientes com DTM. Palavras-chave: Acupuntura, Dor facial,Transtornos da Articulação Temporomandibular.