Acupuncture Puts Nervous Dental Patients at Ease

Acupuncture Puts Nervous Dental Patients at Ease: "Acupuncture needles stuck into two strategic spots on the head may reduce anxiety levels of highly nervous dental patients, new research indicates.

The needles induce relaxation and reduce fear that all but paralyzes some people facing dental treatments, say researchers from England and Denmark.

In a study published in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine, acupuncture treatment was performed in 16 women and four men from eight dental practices. Each of the patients had been rated as moderately or extremely anxious based on a questionnaire scale called the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI).

The BAI scores of the individuals were assessed before and five minutes after acupuncture treatment involving two specific points on the top of the head.

Dentists trained in the use of acupuncture carried out the experiments, and average BAI scores fell to 11.5 from 26.5. The acupuncture treatments worked so well that all 20 people managed to have their dental procedures carried out."