Use of natural remedies to treat oral diseases among female patients in Al Madinah, western Saudi Arabia.

Background: The study aimed to investigate natural remedies use (NRU) for oral diseases among female patients. Methods: Dental patients attending the female section of Taibah University Dental Hospital were invited to complete an online questionnaire which explored demographic data, and pattern of NRU for oral diseases. Results: A total of 540 patients participated in the survey. A total of 232 patients (43%) used natural remedies to treat oral diseases. The most commonly cited reasons for NRU were financial reasons (n=79, 34.1%). The practice had a statistically significant association with older participants (p=0.003), and those working as employees (p=0.031). Most of the natural remedies used (n=17) were herbal, with cloves (71.1%) and miswak (26.7%) being the most frequently reported. Acute dental pain (n=157, 67.7%) and halitosis (n= 51, 22%) were the most frequently cited oral conditions associated with NRU. A percentage of 87.1% of patients using natural remedies (n=202) perceived improvement of symptoms upon use of natural remedies, however, 2.2% (n=5) reported complications. Conclusions: Substantial proportion of patients use natural remedies to treat their oral disease. Patients were mostly satisfied with natural remedies in terms of effectiveness and lack of complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]