Herbal medicines: knowledge, attitude, dispensing practice and the barriers among dental practitioners in Chennai city, Tamilnadu

 In the recent past, traditional medicines have gained increased awareness among the scientific community and general public owing to the intrinsic value of these systems. They are considered because of the drug resistance and side effects associated with allopathic medicines. Also, in a country like India, where there is availability of rich medicinal flora, herbal medicine can serve as a great alternative to overcome these disadvantages. Hence, a study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of herbal drugs among dental practitioners in Chennai, Tamilnadu. A cross-sectional study was designed where 300 practicing dentists were selected by non-probability convenience sampling. It comprised of 150 dentists with undergraduate qualification and 150 dentists with a postgraduate degree from Chennai, Tamilnadu. A questionnaire was framed containing 17 questions testing the knowledge, attitude and practice of herbal medicines.  When the knowledge about herbal medicines was assessed among dental practitioners, it was found that 76% were aware about herbal drugs in general and 86% were aware of its side effects. 94.7% of the dentists were aware of the interactions of herbal drugs with other conventional medications. Even though dentists seem to have adequate knowledge and attitude of herbal drugs, there seems to be a significant variation in the practice of herbal drugs in clinical scenario From the present study, a clear cut lack in the understanding of herbal drugs is evident. Dentists and other medical practitioners are willing to learn more about it, but find it difficult to access trustworthy information and clinical evidence on the practice of such drugs. The availability of a comprehensive list of herbal drugs is imperative at this juncture, and inter-professional research has to be encouraged to bring out the highest efficiency of such drugs.