Acupuncture analgesia: The complementary pain management in dentistry

• Main Author: Abdurachman, NIDN. 0011096602
• Format: Article PeerReviewed
• Language: English; Indonesian; Indonesian
• Published: Fakultas Kedokteran Gigi Universitas Airlangga 2011
• Subjects: R5-920 Medicine (General)
• Online Access: http://repository.unair.ac.id/85138/1/Acupuncture%20Analgesia%20The%20Complementary%20pain_compressed.pdf; http://repository.unair.ac.id/85138/2/Acupuncture%20Analgesia.pdf; http://repository.unair.ac.id/85138/3/Acupuncture%20Analgesia%20The.pdf; http://repository.unair.ac.id/85138/; https://e-journal.unair.ac.id/MKG/article/view/883
• Institution: Universitas Airlangga

Background: Pain is the most common reason for medical consultation in the United States. Pain is a major symptom in many medical conditions, and can significantly interfere with a person’s quality of life and general functioning. One of the very unpleasant pain is toothache. Conventional treatments for toothache are improving oral hygiene, prescribing analgesics, anti-inflammatory, and also antibiotics if there are infection even extractions are performed if necessary. Another way to conventional approaches, patients may consider acupuncture method. Acupuncture involves the insertion of needles with the width of a human hair along the precise points throughout the body. This process triggers body’s energy normal flow through extra anatomy pathway called meridian. Purpose: This case report is aimed to emphasize the existence of teeth-organ relationships through communication channels outside the lines of communication that has been known in anatomy. Case: Two patients with toothache complaints in the lower right molars came to an acupuncturist who was a medical practitioner. In these cases pain were relieved by acupuncture analgesia. Case management: Two patients were subjected to acupuncture analgesia with different acupuncture points that were customized to the affected tooth, case 1 with the large intestine-4 (Li-4) which located in the hand and case 2 with bladder-25 (Bl-25) which located in the back of the body. Ninety percent of pain was relieved in 40 seconds. Conclusion: Pain in toothache can be relieved using acupuncture analgesia technique, using meridian as an extra anatomy pathway. Nevertheless, treating the source of pain by dental practitioner is mandatory.