Dentistry, veterinary medicine and outcomes

This issue of Homeopathy features two papers on dental pain: a retrospective clinical outcome study of Symphytum following dental implants and a systematic literature review of the effect of Hypericum on dental pain. Alberto Mazzocchi and Fabio Montanaro retrospectively analysed data on 100 dental implants in 57 patients treated with ketoprofen alone v 100 implants in 60 patients treated with ketoprofen and Symphytum officinale. The group treated with ketoprofen and Symphytum appeared to respond better in terms of both pain and swelling. The difference was statistically significant when the crude data were analysed. However correction for baseline characteristics (mostly gender, women were much more likely to receive Symphytum) greatly widened the confidence intervals so that the results ceased to be statistically significant.[ ¹ ]

The team lead by Professor Thomas Ostermann of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Witten/Herdecke, Germany conducted a systematic review of Hypericum perforatum for dental pain. Unfortunately no definitive conclusions are possible because, although there are four eligible randomised controlled clinical trials which used Hypericum in homeopathic form for dental pain, all the results were confounded, mostly by Arnica. Three of the studies used Hypericum and Arnica combined and one used individualised treatment, with many more patients receiving Arnica than Hypericum; the results for Hypericum were not reported separately.[ ² ]

• References

• 1 Mazzocchi A., Montanaro F. Observational study of the use of Symphytum 5CH in the management of pain and swelling after dental implant surgery. Homeopathy 2012; 101: 211-216.
• 2 Raak C., Büssing A., Gassmann G., Boehm K., Ostermann T. A systematic review and meta-analysis on the use of Hypericum perforatum (St. John's Wort) for pain conditions in dental practice. Homeopathy 2012; 101: 204-210.
• 3 Hati A.K., Paital B., Naik N. et al. Constitutional, organopathic and combined homeopathic treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy: a clinical trial. Homeopathy 2012; 101: 217-223.
• 4 Mathie R.T., Hacke D., Clausen J. Randomised controlled trials of veterinary homeopathy: characterising the peer-reviewed research literature for systematic review. Homeopathy 2012; 101: 196-203.
• 5 Shafei H.F., Abdeldayem S., Mohamed N. Individualized homeopathy in a group of Egyptian asthmatic children. Homeopathy 2012; 101: 224-230.
• 6 Grundling C., Schimetta W., Frass M. Real-life effect of classical homeopathy in the treatment of allergies: a multicenter prospective observational study. Wien Klin Wochenschr 2012; 124: 11-17.
• 7 Teixeira M.Z. Antiresorptive drugs (bisphosphonates), atypical fractures and rebound effect: new evidence of similitude. Homeopathy 2012; 101: 231-242.