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Acupunct Med 2009;27:114-117 doi:10.1136/aim.2009.000679
  • Original papers

The effect of acupuncture on oral microcirculation in healthy volunteers: an exploratory study

  1. Giuseppe Alessandro Scardina,
  2. A Ruggieri,
  3. F Provenzano,
  4. P Messina
  1. University of Palermo, Department of Oral Sciences “G. Messina”, Palermo, Italy
  1. Correspondence to Dr Giuseppe Alessandro Scardina, University of Palermo, Department of Oral Sciences “G. Messina”, Via del Vespro, 129 90127 Palermo, Italy; alescard{at}msn.com

    Abstract

    Background: Acupuncture is a therapeutic technique currently used in the treatment of many pathologies. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential effect of acupuncture on “in vivo” variations in oral microcirculation in healthy subjects.

    Methods: An exploratory study was conducted on 40 healthy subjects: 20 cases (mean 55.90, SD 16.04) and 20 controls (mean 51, SD 11.91). Videocapillaroscopy was used to detect variations in oral microcirculation. This method permits an accurate and non-invasive in vivo study of the capillaries of the oral mucous. The site selected for this pilot study is the lower lip since it is the simplest to investigate and is more readily accessible. Assessments were carried out in three phases: t0 before the application of the needles; t1 one minute after the application; t2 five minutes after the application; similar time points were used for the control group. Data were compared using the Mann-Whitney test.

    Results: The study showed characteristic changes in oral microcirculation induced by acupuncture. The tortuousness of capillary loops and in the diameter of the afferent loop changed significantly (p<0.05) over time in the acupuncture group but not in the controls.

    Conclusions: The findings lend support to our expectation that acupuncture may generate significant variations in oral microcirculation in healthy adults. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and evaluate the therapeutic role of acupuncture in oral pathologies.

    Footnotes

    • Competing interests None.

    • Ethics approval The study was approved by the Ethical Committee Department of the University of Palermo.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

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