A retrospective study of 201 patients treated for facial pain by acupuncture over a 10-year period at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock, Scotland, showed that overall 62.7% reported improvement. For those with temperomandibular joint/muscle pain, 46% were cured out of 61% who benefited. For those with trigeminal neuralgia, 62.9% reported improvement. The author, Nazim Merchant, Consultant Oral & Maxillo-Facial Surgeon, concludes that acupuncture has a significant role to play in the treatment of facial pain. For patients with temperomandibular joint or muscle pain, acupuncture may be the only treatment required, whilst in the case of trigeminal neuralgia, although acupuncture did not completely relieve the pain, it allowed a reduction in the dose of carbamazepine. The acupuncture method used relied mainly on local or trigger points.

Acupuncture in Medicine, Nov 1995 VOL X111 No2, 67-70.