The effectiveness of different types of acupuncture to reduce symptoms and disability for patients with orofacial pain. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: To determine the effectiveness of different types of acupuncture in reducing pain, improving maximum mouth opening and jaw functions in adults with orofacial pain.

Methods: Six databases were searched until 15 June 2023. The Cochrane risk of bias tool and GRADE were employed to evaluate bias and overall evidence certainty.

Results: Among 52 studies, 86.5% ( = 45) exhibited high risk of bias. Common acupoints, including Hegu LI 4, Jiache ST 6, and Xiaguan ST 7, were used primarily for patients with temporomandibular disorder [TMDs]. Meta-analyses indicated that acupuncture significantly reduced pain intensity in individuals with myogenous TMD (MD = 26.02 mm, I=89%,  = 0.05), reduced tenderness in the medial pterygoid muscle (standardised mean differences [SMD] = 1.72, I = 0%,  < 0.00001) and jaw dysfunction (SMD = 1.62, I = 88%,  = 0.010) in mixed TMD when compared to sham/no treatment. However, the overall certainty of the evidence was very low for all outcomes as evaluated by GRADE.

Conclusion: The overall results in this review should be interpreted with caution as there was a high risk of bias across the majority of randomized controlled trial (RCTs), and the overall certainty of the evidence was very low. Therefore, future studies with high-quality RCTs are warranted evaluating the use of acupuncture in patients with orofacial pain.