A team at Narayana Dental College & Hospital in India, have found that acupressure can be successfully used to reduce dental anxiety in children. A total of 375 children, aged 8 to 12, who were scheduled for scaling and/or restorative procedures, were randomly assigned to one of three groups: acupressure, sham acupressure or control. The acupressure points chosen are traditionally used for calming, whilst the sham points are not known to have any such effect.
Significant differences were observed between the three groups, in terms of subjective anxiety scores, objective behaviour ratings, and pulse rates. The acupressure group displayed the lowest anxiety score based on all measures.
(Effectiveness of Acupressure on Dental Anxiety in Children. Pediatric Dentistry, 15 May 2018.)