Acupuncture modulates facial warm sensory thresholds.

To assess the effects of four- and six-point acupuncture on facial sensory detection thresholds to thermal and electrical stimuli. Ten healthy volunteers underwent four-point acupuncture at ST6 and LI4 bilaterally for 15 minutes. A further 10 subjects underwent six-point acupuncture by adding needling at ST2 bilaterally. Sensory testing to thermal and electrical stimuli applied to mental and infraorbital nerve dermatomes was performed at baseline, 10 minutes, 1 hour, and 1 day after needling. In the mental and infraorbital nerve dermatomes, six-point acupuncture significantly increased warm threshold by a peak mean of 1.1°C to 1.4°C (repeated measures ANOVA P = .001) and this effect was significant at all time points relative to baseline (P < .05). No significant effects were observed by the four-point acupuncture on warm thresholds, and neither four- nor six-point acupuncture significantly altered electrical detection thresholds. A dose effect, related to the number of points employed, may be present when employing acupuncture.

Citation

Rafael Benoliel, Shadya Zaidan, Eli Eliav. Acupuncture modulates facial warm sensory thresholds. Journal of orofacial pain. 2011;25(1):32-8

Mesh Tags

PMID: 21359235

search → result