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.

Keywords

• Awareness; complementary and alternative medicine; dental students