Acupuncture has shown promise in improving the clinical efficacy and reducing recovery time of peripheral facial palsy treatment with few side effects.
The researchers conducted a wide-ranging search across databases including Wanfang, VIP, CNKI, CBM, Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane Library, collecting systematic reviews and meta-analyses related to acupuncture treatment for peripheral facial palsy. The collected studies were then evaluated using AMSTAR2, PRISMA, and GRADE tools for methodology, reporting quality, and evidence quality.
Discussion of Results: In total, 17 systematic reviews and meta-analyses were included in this study. The evaluations revealed a mix of high, moderate, and low-quality studies based on AMSTAR2 assessment and PRISMA results. The GRADE results indicated that most items provided low or very low-quality evidence. Despite the inconsistent quality of the evaluated studies, the research found that acupuncture could improve the clinical treatment outcomes of peripheral facial palsy whilst reducing recovery time and side effects.
