Comparative Analgesia Between Acupuncture and Dipyrone in Odontalgia

Area of Science:

• Integrative and Complementary Medicine
• Pain Management
• Dental Research

Background:

• Toothache (odontalgia) is a common condition requiring effective pain management.
• Conventional analgesics like dipyrone are frequently used but may have limitations.
• Acupuncture is an alternative therapy explored for pain relief.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of acupuncture versus dipyrone in managing toothache pain.
• To evaluate acupuncture as a potential alternative for odontalgia treatment.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 56 volunteers with moderate to severe toothache.
• Four groups: Real Acupuncture, Placebo Acupuncture, Real Dipyrone, and Placebo Dipyrone.
• Pain intensity (Visual Analogue Scale), salivary cortisol, and energy levels were measured before and after treatment.

Main Results:

• The Real Acupuncture group showed a significantly greater reduction in Visual Analogue Scale pain scores compared to the Real Dipyrone group (p<0.05).
• No significant differences were observed between groups for salivary cortisol or energy levels.
• Acupuncture demonstrated superior efficacy in reducing toothache pain.

Conclusions:

• Acupuncture is more effective than dipyrone for managing toothache.
• Acupuncture presents a promising alternative for the clinical management of odontalgia.