Knowledge, awareness, and practices of complementary and alternative medicine for oral health-care management among dental students

Abstract

Objective:The objective of this study is to assess the awareness and practices of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for oral health-care management among dental students.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted in 200 dental students of final year and internship selected by simple random sampling using a close-ended questionnaire.Results:Among the total respondents, 52% were females and 48% were males. Nearly, 14% of the students were not aware of the different categories of the CAM and 12% of them were not aware of its implication in oral health-care management.Conclusion:Majority of the students was aware of CAM, yet they do not follow the use of the same for their patient's oral health-care management. Hence, a small provision regarding the knowledge of CAM should be imposed under the undergraduate curriculum for the dental students so that it should be implemented in their practice in future.

Dental students’ knowledge of and attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine in Australia – An exploratory study

“…27 However, one in four Australian dental students believed that they possessed very little, if any, CAM knowledge, as has also been demonstrated in international cohorts. 28,29 This was reflected in our findings, with a minority being able to identify CAM-associated adverse reactions correctly. For this reason, students should be made aware of evidence-based CAM databases to ensure safe prescribing to patients on polypharmacy regimes.…”

“…This study was the first to analyse CAM knowledge and perceptions among dental students in Australia, which has been investigated by only a handful of authors in the international literature. [26][27][28][29] Understanding the safe use of CAM, like any medication, is necessary to ensure that patients are managed appropriately. Most students were aware that CAM could affect the safety of dental procedures, which is consistent with international reports of dental students' awareness of a possible association between incorrect CAM knowledge and adverse reactions.…”

“…21 The US results were similar in India as well as Malaysia. 27,29 In responding to the survey, dental students were able to refer to the necessary resources to find the answers required with no restrictions in resources or time. This was to create external validity within the study.…”

“…While some insight has come from overseas studies, [26][27][28][29] no existing study has assessed whether Australian dentists are graduating with adequate knowledge to manage patients using CAM, nor have attitudes towards CAM, within the student body, been gauged. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the knowledge and perceptions of dental students about CAM therapies.…”

Knowledge and perceptions of the use of complementary and alternative medicine in dental clinic students in Makassar city, Indonesia

“…Most of the students (87.2%) agreed that CAM education was necessary for the dental curriculum given its clinical relevance, which doubled the proportion identified in a crosssectional study conducted in the United States, where 40% of the students surveyed requested that CAM be included in the study of their dental curriculum (20). Results obtained in the United States are similar to those of Australia, Pakistan, Malaysia, and India (17,21).…”