Knowledge and Practice of Herbal Medicine on Oral Health among Dental Personnel in Malaysia

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the association between knowledge and practice of medical herbs related to oral heath among staffs at School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the School of Dental Sciences, USM, on 100 lecturers, dental surgery assistants, nurses, administrative workers, and dental technicians. A set of knowledge and practice questionnaire was used in this study. Descriptive statistics, chi-square and correlation were used to analyze the data. Results: The results showed that the dental staff's knowledge of oral herbal medicines was 32.8%. This indicates that they had a moderate level of knowledge. Almost three-quarters of the employees (73%) practiced at a low level (0-25%), while only 13.85% practiced at a moderate level. The findings revealed that there was no significant relationship between knowledge and practice scores and age or gender. The results, from the other hand, revealed a significant association between practice scores and the type of occupations among staff (P=0.04). The Correlation analyses shows a moderately positive relationship between knowledge and practice. Conclusions: Dental staff had a moderate level of knowledge and a poor level of practice with regard to herbal medicines for oral health. There was a significant association between age and knowledge and there was a significant association between the knowledge and practice among the dental personnel