SynthesisBMC complementary and alternative medicine2018
A systematic review of the effects of acupuncture on xerostomia and hyposalivation.
Synthesis in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 16 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.
Effects of Acupuncture on Xerostomia and Xerophthalmia in Sjögren's Syndrome: a Randomized, Double-blinded Clinical Trial
Effect of Self-administered Acupressure for Improving Xerostomia in Head and Neck Cancer Patients: a Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 52 citations in OpenAlex.
- Methodological Review: Summary of Findings for Acupuncture as Treatment for Cancer Therapy-induced Xerostomia.In vivo (Athens, Greece)Pooled it
- Laser Acupuncture on the Management of Xerostomia in Sjögren's Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Oral diseases · 2026Trial
- Acupuncture for chemotherapy-induced dysgeusia (AcuDysg): a randomized controlled trial.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Trial
- Prospective Sham-Controlled trial: acupuncture for symptom-relieving in patients with Sjögren's disease.Clinical rheumatology · 2025Trial
- Acupuncture to Improve Quality of Life in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Cancers · 2026Article
- Burning Mouth Syndrome Following Covid Vaccination: A Case Report.Clinical case reports · 2025Article
- Biomimetic Effect of Saliva on Human Tooth Enamel: A Scanning Electron Microscopic Study.International journal of dentistry · 2025Article
- The Prevalence of Sjögren's Disease in Dental Clinics in the Netherlands Compared with the Prevalence in a Systematic Literature Review of Studies in Other Countries.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Transdermal pilocarpine on the skin over salivary glands to increase salivation: an in vivo study.BMC oral health · 2024Article
- Current developments and opportunities of pluripotent stem cells-based therapies for salivary gland hypofunction.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2024Review
- A scoping review on hyposalivation associated with systemic conditions: the role of physical stimulation in the treatment approaches.BMC oral health · 2023Article
- Protective Effect of Electroacupuncture on Chemotherapy-Induced Salivary Gland Hypofunction in a Mouse Model.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- The relationship between the severity of oral dryness and the use of dry-mouth interventions by various subgroups of dry-mouth patients.Clinical oral investigations · 2022Article
- Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment of Radiotherapy-Induced Xerostomia: A Review.Journal of oncology · 2022Review
- Artificial Saliva for Therapeutic Management of Xerostomia: A Narrative Review.Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences · 2021Review
- A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Cross-Over Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of AqualiefCancers · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSaliva is fundamental to our oral health and our well-being. Many factors can impair saliva secretion, such as adverse effects of prescribed medication, auto-immune diseases (for example Sjögren's syndrome) and radiotherapy for head and neck cancers. Several studies have suggested a positive effect of acupuncture on oral dryness.
methodsPubmed and Web of Science were electronically searched. Reference lists of the included studies and relevant reviews were manually searched. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were systematically evaluated. Two reviewers assessed each of the included studies to confirm eligibility and assessing the risk of bias.
resultsTen randomized controlled trials investigating the effect of acupuncture were included. Five trials compared acupuncture to sham/placebo acupuncture. Four trials compared acupuncture to oral hygiene/usual care. Only one clinical trial used oral care sessions as control group. For all the included studies, the quality for all the main outcomes has been assessed as low. Although some publications suggest a positive effect of acupuncture on either salivary flow rate or subjective dry mouth feeling, the studies are inconclusive about the potential effects of acupuncture.
conclusionsInsufficient evidence is available to conclude whether acupuncture is an evidence-based treatment option for xerostomia/hyposalivation. Further well-designed, larger, double blinded trials are required to determine the potential benefit of acupuncture. Sample size calculations should be performed before before initiating these studies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.