Effects of short-term acupuncture treatment on occlusal force and mandibular movement in patients with deep-bite malocclusion

Abstract Background/purpose Acupuncture is well known to be effective for pain relief and muscle relaxation, and hence it is feasible that acupuncture treatment could change the occlusal forces and mandibular movements in subjects with deep-bite malocclusion. The purpose of this research was to determine the distribution of occlusal force and the border movement of the mandible in patients with deep-bite malocclusion before and after acupuncture treatment. Materials and methods This study involved 17 volunteers with deep-bite malocclusion and aged 20–30 years. Before and after acupuncture treatment, the distribution of the occlusal-force percentage at each tooth was measured and the percentage biting force in the first molar area during maximal clenching was recorded. Additionally, the mandibular movements including the maximum mouth opening and maximum lateral border movement were also evaluated. All of the data were analyzed statistically using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results The percentage biting force at the first molar differed significantly between before and after the acupuncture treatments ( P  = 0.017). However, no treatment effects were seen for the maximum mouth opening and the maximum lateral border movement. Conclusion: Although the mandibular border movements did not change significantly, this study has confirmed that acupuncture treatment may become an alternative choice on improving the occlusal force of deep-bite patients.