Aurea Chun-En Kuo
Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine Taiwan
Title: The application of electroacupuncture in temporomandibular disorders
Biography
Biography: Aurea Chun-En Kuo
Abstract
Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) refer to a group of related pathologies involving the temporomandibular joints, muscles of mastication, and/or associated structures. TMDs are characterized by symptoms such as pain and decreased maximal mouth opening (MMO). Currently, the standard treatment modality for TMDs is nonsurgical management, based on the results of longstanding clinical research studies. However, many alternative approaches to the treatment of TMDs have arisen, primarily due to the frequency of cases that are refractory to traditional nonsurgical intervention. In many clinical studies, acupuncture has been proven an effective form of pain management, particularly pain of musculoskeletal origin, including TMDs. Within the last decade, there has been a substantial increase in the number of research studies addressing the efficacy of electroacupuncture techniques in the treatment of persistent tissue injury, nerve injury, pain associated with cancer, and visceral pain. These studies indicate that electroacupuncture not only reduces both the sensory and affective components of inflammatory pain but also inhibits neuropathic pain. The mechanism by which electroacupuncture blocks pain results from the activation or inhibition of a variety of bioactive chemicals throughout the peripheral, spinal, and supraspinal pathways. This study aims to analyze the effecacy of electroacupuncture as a treatment method for pain associated with TMDs in the scientific literature.