A systematic review and meta-analysis showed that acupuncture may be used to relieve acute dental pain both intra- and post-operatively, as well as to increase the effectiveness of local anaesthesia. Researchers sought to determine the efficacy of acupuncture for the management of acute dental pain when compared to other pain-relieving methods.

To assess the effectiveness of acupuncture (alone or as complementary therapy) as opposed to traditional analgesic medications or local anesthesia in acute dental pain (during and after surgery), and to determine whether acupuncture decreases the utilization of postoperative analgesic medications, a systematic review of controlled trials was conducted.

Overall, 23 publications out of 1672 met the inclusion requirements. There were 11 randomized controlled trials (n = 668) that reported on the effectiveness of acupuncture for postoperative acute dental pain. In comparison to sham acupuncture, patients who underwent acupuncture had decreased postoperative pain scores (Relative Risk -0.77).

In addition to improving the efficiency of local anesthesia, acupuncture was beneficial in lowering acute dental pain both during and after surgery. However, the results are constrained by methodological flaws, underscoring the need for further high-quality research.