A study undertaken at two emergency dental clinics in São Paulo, Brazil has shown acupuncture to be a useful method of pain control for patients with acute dental pain. A sample of 120 patients, aged between 18 and 90, awaiting emergency treatment, received one acupuncture session. Pain was reduced in all patients, going down from a mean 6.56 to 0.96 on a visual analogue scale.
(Acupuncture in the management of acute dental pain. Journal of Acupuncture & Meridian Studies, April 2014.)