Experimental Dental Pain Clinical Trial
Official title:
Mechanisms of Acupuncture Analgesia on Experimental Dental Pain - A Randomized, Single Blinded, Sham-controlled Psychophysical Study (Phase1)
The investigators will assess the effects of manual acupuncture on experimental dental pain in 36 healthy subjects by means of subjective pain intensity ratings and pain-specific autonomic nervous system (ANS) reactions.
This psychophysical and -physiological study is the first part of a two-phase project which
pursues to explore how acupuncture-induced pain modulation interacts with pain-specific
brain processing patterns by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and by
using an experimental dental pain model.
In this preceding study, the characterization of manual acupuncture effects on the
experimental dental pain model will be tested under laboratory conditions and without
restrictions of an fMRI-measurement in order to provide a sound foundation for the following
fMRI-experiment. Pain modulating effects of the manual acupuncture intervention (4 points:
needle manipulation of bilateral large-intestine 4 (LI4), stomach 6 and 7 (ST6, ST7)
ipsilateral to the stimulated tooth) will be compared to sham-acupuncture (insertion and
manipulation of 4 non-acupuncture points) and a control intervention (no acupuncture) which
will each be performed at 3 different days in a randomized order. Intervention effects on
experimental dental pain will be assessed by testing of 36 healthy volunteers by means of
subjective pain intensity ratings and pain-specific ANS reactions such as electrodermal
activity and heart rate/respiratory changes. Besides laying the groundwork for the following
fMRI experiment, this study could provide valuable basic insights into the dynamics of the
tested manual acupuncture effects and further provide important knowledge for the planning
of future clinical studies encompassing dental conditions and development of acupuncture
treatments.
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Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment, Masking: Single Blind (Subject), Primary Purpose: Treatment