Saudi Population's Awareness and Attitude Toward Using Different Home Remedies to Treat Oral Problems

Using herbal home remedies to treat and alleviate dental problems is a common practice. This study aimed to assess the local community's actual use, attitude, and awareness toward the different remedies for treating oral problems. A structured, close-ended, self-administered electronic questionnaire assessed the attitude, awareness, and knowledge towards using home herbal remedies to treat oral problems among Saudi citizens. The link to the online questionnaire was distributed through social media, inviting participants to fill it out. All the collected responses were analyzed by applying descriptive and inferential statistics. A total of 434 subjects participated in this study, with equal gender distribution.. Almost (58.7%) of participants used one or more home remedies in treating dental or oral problems. Dental pain (78.5%) and teeth whitening (27.1%) were the main reasons for using herbal remedies. The most commonly used herbal remedies were cloves (75.3%), salt and water (%72.5), Myrrh (43.4%), and charcoal (19.5%). Nearly (42.2%) were uncertain about the side effects. More than half and three-fourths were uncertain of the efficacy of activated charcoal powder use in teeth whitening and the efficacy of baking soda powder use for teeth whitening. Similarly (82.7%) were uncertain of the efficacy of using turmeric to eliminate halitosis. No significant relation was observed between the use of any home remedy and gender, age group, or level of education (p>0.05). Home remedies are widely used in managing dental and oral problems. Clinical studies that investigate the effect of such preparations in treating oral problems are recommended.