A systematic review of acupuncture or acupoint injection for management of burning mouth syndrome

Objective: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a common chronic pain condition that lacks a satisfactory treatment approach. This systematic review was designed to examine the effects of acupuncture or acupoint injection on the management of BMS and to evaluate the evidence supporting the use of acupuncture therapy for BMS in clinical practice. Method and Materials: The following databases were searched for relevant articles: Cochrane Oral Health Group Trials Register (July 2011), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (issue 7, 2011), MEDLINE (1966 to June 2011), and electronic medical database from the China-National Knowledge Infrastructure (1979 to June 2011). Articles were screened, and the quality of the included trials was assessed independently by two reviewers. Results: After screening, nine studies with 547 randomized patients were included in this review. All nine articles were published in Chinese and were clinical trial studies with a Jadad score 3. Their results showed that acupuncture/ acupoint injection may benefit patients with BMS. The evidence supported the efficacy of acupuncture/acupoint injection therapy in reducing BMS pain and related symptoms. Conclusion: In light of the positive outcomes reported, the use of acupuncture therapy for BMS patients warrants further research. Keywords: acupoint, acupuncture, burning mouth syndrome, pain, therapy