The
analgesic effects of acupuncture were compared with those of
codeine in the treatment of postoperative dental
pain in 40 healthy male volunteers 18 to 30 years old. Upon the patient's recovery from
local anesthesia (
lidocaine), he was asked by a trained observer to classify the intensity of his
pain as none, mild, moderate, or severe. He then received one of the following treatments: 1. Placebo:
lactose, plus acupuncture placebo 2.
Codeine:
codeine, plus acupuncture placebo 3. Acupuncture (Ho-Ku):
lactose, plus 2 Ho-Ku points 4.
Codeine-acupuncture:
codeine, plus 2 Ho-Ku points. The
pain intensity score was recorded by the observer at half-hour intervals for 3 hours. Patients in treatment groups 2, 3 and 4 showed significantly greater
pain relief than those in treatment group 1. For the 1st half hour, there was more
pain relief with Ho-Ku alone than with
codeine plus Ho-Ko (p less than 0.01). However, for the 2, 2 1/2, and 3-hour periods,
codeine plus Ho-Ku produced more
pain relief than any of the other treatments.