Toothache and self-medication practices: A study of patients attending a niger delta tertiary hospital in nigeria

Abstract

Background:There is evidence that self-medication practices among dental patients with toothache are common, and despite the adverse clinical consequences, there is a paucity of literature on it, and only few programs are available for its control.Aim:The aim was to assess the self-medication practices among adult dental patients suffering from toothache.Subjects and Methods:An instrument adapted from modified form of 117-item self-report questionnaire based on world Health Organization guidelines for students’ substance use survey and open-ended questionnaire was administered to adult patients attending the Dental and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic of this Health Institution for a period of 6 months.Results:The results show that 80.6% (287/356) subjects indulged in self-medication practices. Majority of the patients 42.9% (123/287) were in the 2-4th decades of life, whereas the male: female ratio was 1.3:1. The most commonly abused medications/substance was analgesics/non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (243/287; 24.5%), antibiotics (233/287; 23.5%), “touch and go” (187/287; 18.8%). The practice of self-medication cut across all social strata, P < 0.01 (significant) and only 3.8% (11/287) subjects admitted knowledge of the dosage and side-effects of the used medications/substances. The toothache not being serious initially (112/287; 22.5%) and time constraints to attend dental clinic (93/287; 18.7%) were the major reasons for self-medication.Conclusion:This study suggests that the practice of self-medication is common among adult dental patients with toothache in Nigeria. This should be reduced to the barest minimum by dental health education, upgrading of dental health facilities, and enforcement of drug control mechanisms.

Self-Care Remedies Used to Relieve Dental Pain among Sudanese in Khartoum State, Sudan

“…Some of these studies revealed over-the-counter analgesics as the most commonly used compared with other remedies [4,11,7,12,13]. The results of this study showed that among different remedies used by the participants, cloves was the most frequently used remedy 33.8% along with herbal remedies 19.6% and OTC medications 19%.…”

“…The questionnaire consisted of objectivesoriented questions, some of which were also obtained from similar studies that conducted in other countries [4,11]. The questionnaire was prepared in English first and then translated into Arabic.…”

“…The rite of consuming those remedies for self medication is increasing particularly in developing countries, although it has a serious side effects it wasn't surveyed enough by researches to consider an action for its control [11].…”

Evaluating lay perceptions of maternal mortality to improve risk communication: a case study in Rivers State, Nigeria

“…It is the central premise of the current study that it is likely that the provision of vital information on the prevention of maternal mortality will lead to a significant drop in the rates seen in Nigeria (Igberase, Isah & Igbekoyi, 2009) Self-medication may be pervasive and even recommended for treatment of minor diseases, but due to the potential negative outcome of this practice (Befekadu, Dhekama, & Mohammed, 2014), it was suggested (Anyanechi & Saheeb, 2014) that the process be eradicated or reduced to the minimum through health education and enlightenment campaigns. Adeusi, Adekeye, & Ebere (2014) stressed the urgency in the appropriate health education of the women, to enable them make informed health decisions regarding their health and that of their children.…”

Prevalence of Self-Medication with Analgesics Among People Referring to Outpatient Dental Clinics in an Iranian Population

“…Numerous studies have reported that self-medication is a common behavior in both developed and developing countries (7,8). For instance, in European countries, the frequency of selfmedication for general health issues was observed to be 68% -78% (9), while it was 80% -94.5% in Asian countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Pakistan, and Bahrain (10)(11)(12)(13), and 80% -100% in African countries such as Cameroon, Nigeria, and Egypt (14,15). Furthermore, the prevalence of self-medication in Iran is estimated to be three times the world average, with an estimate of 83.3% (16,17).…”