Acupressure versus paracetamol for short-term orthodontic pain: A randomized clinical trial

Orthodontic pain results from local inflammation and is usually treated with analgesics; however, the effectiveness of acupressure as a nonpharmacological alternative remains uncertain.

To compare the effectiveness of acupressure and paracetamol at relieving pain perception in patients undergoing orthodontic tooth movement.

Patients aged 12 years or older undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment were randomly assigned to two parallel groups (paracetamol or acupressure) using simple non-stratified randomization with an allocation ratio of 1:1. Pain intensity was assessed twice daily using a visual analog scale ranging from 0 to 10 for five days following bonding. Pain scores were compared between groups using the Mann-Whitney U test, and differences in analgesic usage were assessed with the Chi-square test (p < 0.05).

In total, 61 participants were analyzed. Overall pain perception did not differ significantly between groups (p > 0.05). Analgesic use was higher in the paracetamol group on day two, but only significantly different at the evening time point (p = 0.012). Analgesic usage declined in both groups over subsequent days and no further significant differences were observed. Acupressure application peaked on day two and then decreased steadily through day five. No adverse effects were reported in either group.

Acupressure appeared to reduce reliance on medication during the peak initial orthodontic pain period, suggesting its potential use as a conservative alternative for short-term pain management.