Self-care remedies used to relieve dental pain among Sudanese in Khartoum State, Sudan: a cross-sectional study

Bassam Maged Ahmed; Israa Ahmed Ali; Fatima Siddiq; Kinobe Muhamadi; Mohammed Hassan Aljezooli

doi:10.21767/2576-392X-C3-009

Self-care remedies used to relieve dental pain among Sudanese in Khartoum State, Sudan: a cross-sectional study

25^th International Conference on Dental Treatment
September 10-11, 2018 Zurich, Switzerland

Bassam Maged Ahmed, Israa Ahmed Ali, Fatima Siddiq, Kinobe Muhamadi and Mohammed Hassan Aljezooli

International University of Africa, Sudan

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Dent Craniofac Res

DOI: 10.21767/2576-392X-C3-009

Abstract

Aim & Objective: This study aimed to identify self-care remedies used to relieve dental pain among Sudanese in Khartoum state, 2016-2017, with assessment of related concerns such as predisposing reasons, and consequences associated with this usage. Methods & Tools: The appropriate sample was obtained by nonprobability purposive sampling technique. The data were collected by investigator-handled community-based questionnaire and all statistical analysis was done using IBM statistical package of social science (SPSS) statistics version 22. Results: The study included 384 participants (75.5% male, and 24.5% female). Age of the participants started from 18 years old with most of the respondents aged between third to fifth decades of life. The most frequently used remedy was cloves (33.8%) alongside with a wide variety of other remedies. The potentiating factors for this usage included personal preference (47.4%), self-apprehension (23.7%), high costs and lack of dental health services (22.4% and 5.2% respectively) and combination of some reasons. Although a number of complications were associated with those remedies such as pain (7.5%), burning sensation (4.2%), irritation (2.3%), discoloration (2.1%), bad smell (1.3%), 73.2% of participants stated that they would encourage other people to use those self-care remedies. This suggests a low level of awareness about the risk of oral health problems among the study population. Conclusion: Cloves is the most commonly used self-care remedy by the participants. Personal preference, among others, is the most predisposing motive for this usage. Upgrading awareness about risk of oral health problems, expanding health insurance services to include dental health care services, and demonstration of rational use of over-the-counter medicaments is needed.