El uso de la auriculoterapia en el control de la ansiedad en la práctica clínica odontológica

Context: Alternative practices, such as auriculotherapy, can help control anxiety, positively influencing the patient's emotional state. In the dental office, anxiety is common and is related to fear, pain, and invasive procedures. The use of pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods by the dentist improves treatment adherence and reduces the risk of clinical complications. Objective: To evaluate the effect of auriculotherapy on anxiety control during dental care. Materials and methods: The research was conducted at the Clinic of the School of Dentistry of the Centro Universitário Católico do Leste de Minas Gerais and was divided into two phases: in the first phase, an initial assessment was performed and the auricular points established for anxiety control according to the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine were inserted. The second phase took place one week after treatment and consisted of a reassessment of the individual's report on the impact of therapy on their anxiety. Sociodemographic information was collected, and the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale was used to measure participants' anxiety levels. The dental anxiety score was measured using principal component analysis (PCA) focusing on a single component and Varimax rotation. For the effects of sociodemographic and health variables on dental anxiety scores, GMM (Generalized Mixed Models) with linear distribution and identity link function was adopted. Results: Initially, 184 people participated in the study, but 16 did not respond to the second part of the questionnaire. Therefore, 168 people completed the methodological procedure. Data analysis suggests statistical significance in the test application period (before and after) and lower reported anxiety. Conclusion: The data from this study suggest that auriculotherapy can control anxiety related to dental treatment.