Trial reportLasers in medical science2015
Effect of laser acupuncture on salivary flow rate in patients with Sjögren's syndrome.
Trial report in Lasers in medical science, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of the effects of acupuncture on xerostomia and hyposalivation.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2018Pooled it
- Laser Acupuncture on the Management of Xerostomia in Sjögren's Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Oral diseases · 2026Trial
- Prospective Sham-Controlled trial: acupuncture for symptom-relieving in patients with Sjögren's disease.Clinical rheumatology · 2025Trial
- Effects of photobiomodulation in salivary glands of chronic kidney disease patients on hemodialysis.Lasers in medical science · 2021Trial
- Acupuncture for Primary Sjögren Syndrome (pSS) on symptomatic improvements: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2017Trial
- Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture Combined with Hydroxychloroquine in Treating Primary Sjögren's Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Chinese journal of integrative medicine · 2026Article
- Photobiomodulation for salivary gland dysfunction: aligning clinical expectations with etiology-dependent treatment responsiveness.Lasers in medical science · 2026Review
- Effectiveness of photobiomodulation in the treatment of xerostomia in type II diabetic patients.Odontology · 2026Article
- Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Photobiomodulation Therapy for Orofacial Conditions in Older Adults: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Dentistry journal · 2026Review
- Diode-laser-assisted biopsy and photobiomodulation therapy in the management of Sjögren's disease: a case report.Journal of medical case reports · 2026Article
- Acupuncture treatment for Sjögren's syndrome: a narrative review on mechanism of treatment and clinical application.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among people living with Sjögren's: a cross-sectional survey using a modified international CAM questionnaire (I-CAM-Q).Rheumatology international · 2025Article
- A scoping review on hyposalivation associated with systemic conditions: the role of physical stimulation in the treatment approaches.BMC oral health · 2023Article
- Efficacy of Photobiomodulation in Reducing Symptomatology and Improving the Quality of Life in Patients with Xerostomia and Hyposalivation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
- Modern acupuncture-like stimulation methods: a literature review.Integrative medicine research · 2015Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a multisystem autoimmune disease characterized by hypofunction of the salivary and lacrimal glands, frequently relieved with symptomatic treatments, such as saliva substitutes, eye lubricants, and cholinergic stimulators. The aim of this pilot randomized placebo-controlled study was to estimate the effects of laser acupuncture on salivary flow rates in patients with severe hyposalivation due to SS. A prospective cohort of 26 female patients affected by SS has been evaluated. The laser therapy equipment used was the Pointer Pulse, emitting light in the red visible spectrum (650 nm), with a power of 5 mW and an irradiation time of 120 s per acupoint, in an area of 3.14 mm(2) (fluence = 19.2 J/cm(2), power density = 0.16 W/cm(2), total dose = 0.6 J). The following acupuncture points were stimulated bilaterally: LI 2 Erjian, ST 5 Daying, ST 6 Jiache, ST 7 Xiaguan, SI 19 Tinggong, and BL 13 Feishu. True laser acupuncture led to a significantly higher amount of saliva production, measured after the end of the protocol (5 weeks), and during the 6-month follow-up period. The results are stable from the end of the protocol until the 3rd month of follow-up; during the last control, a slight but significant decrease in production has also been shown. This preliminary study proposes laser acupuncture as a possible treatment for improving salivary flow rates in patients with SS, but further validation on a larger sample is still necessary.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.