SURVEY OF DENTAL STUDENTS' ATTITUDE REGARDING ORIENTAL MEDICINE/COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE: COMPARISON BETWEEN TWO JAPANESE DENTAL SCHOOLS

Herbalism and glass-based materials in dentistry: review of the current state of the art

Half a million different plant species are occurring worldwide, of which only 1% has been phytochemically considered. Thus, there is great potential for discovering novel bioactive compounds. In dentistry, herbal extracts have been used as antimicrobial agents, analgesics, and intracanal medicaments. Glass-ionomer cement (GIC) and bioactive glass (BAG) are attractive materials in dentistry due to their bioactivity, adhesion, and remineralisation capabilities. Thus, this review summarizes the evidence around the use of phytotherapeutics in dental glass-based materials. This review article covers the structure, properties, and clinical uses of GIC and BAG materials within dentistry, with an emphasis on all the attempts that have been made in the last 20 years to enhance their properties naturally using the wisdom of traditional medicines. An extensive electronic search was performed across four databases to include published articles in the last 20 years and the search was concerned only with the English language publications. Publications that involved the use of plant extracts, and their active compounds for the green synthesis of nanoparticles and the modification of GIC and BAG were included up to May 2023. Plant extracts are a potential and effective candidate for modification of different properties of GIC and BAG, particularly their antimicrobial activities. Moreover, natural plant extracts have shown to be very effective in the green synthesis of metal ion nanoparticles in an ecological, and easy way with the additional advantage of a synergistic effect between metal ions and the phytotherapeutic agents. Medicinal plants are considered an abundant, cheap source of biologically active compounds and many of these phytotherapeutics have been the base for the development of new lead pharmaceuticals. Further research is required to assess the safety and the importance of regulation of phytotherapeutics to expand their use in medicine.

Evaluation of In Vitro Antiprotease Activity of Selected Traditional Medicinal Herbs in Dentistry and Its In Silico PASS Prediction

Background

Dental/oral diseases are one of the significant public health problems globally. Herbal medicines for managing oral diseases are considered an effective alternative to synthetic compounds due to their lower side effect. Azadirachta indica, Terminalia chebula, Camellia sinensis, and Piper nigrum are used to control and prevent oral inflammations in dentistry. In this study, we have evaluated the protease inhibition activity of these plant extracts, and further, the binding mode of the active ingredient of these plants with trypsin was studied using molecular docking.

Methods

In this study, protease inhibition activity was carried out using aqueous extracts of the plant parts such as Azadirachta indica (neem) twig, Terminalia chebula (Haritaki) fruit, Camellia sinensis (green tea) powder, and Piper nigrum (kali miri) seed. Next, to explore the binding mode of active ingredients azadirachtin, chebuligenic acid, catechin, and piperine with trypsin, we employed a molecular docking study using AutoDock4.2.

Results

The results revealed that the Azadirachta indica plant extract showed an IC50 value of 96.19 μg mL⁻¹, Camellia sinensis IC50 value of 188.50 μg mL⁻¹, Piper nigrum IC50 value of 371.20 μg mL⁻¹, and Terminalia chebula IC50 value of 639.48 μg mL⁻¹, when compared with standard drug diclofenac sodium, had IC50 value 93.00 μg mL⁻¹. Further, the docking result reveals that all the main active ingredients of these plants have significant binding affinity and prefer the same binding pocket of trypsin.

Conclusion

Hence, our results show the importance of traditional plants Azadirachta indica, Terminalia chebula, green tea, and Piper nigrum to control oral disease conditions. As they show significant protease inhibition activity, hence, the active ingredient could act as a potential anti-inflammatory agent and further help to prevent or control oral disease conditions such as gingivitis and periodontitis.

Association of pharmacy students' cultural beliefs with perceived knowledge, beliefs, confidence, and experience with complementary medicine

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Culture has been shown to inform patients' acceptance and use of complementary medicine (CM) treatment. It is unknown how a pharmacist or pharmacy student's culture may be associated with perceptions of CM relating to patient care. Gaining a better understanding of this concept within student populations may inform educational needs for programs situated within culturally diverse settings. The purpose of this study was to explore how pharmacy students' cultural beliefs influence perceived knowledge, confidence, and practice with respect to CM.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

A cross-sectional survey was distributed to all undergraduate pharmacy (professional years 1-4) and postgraduate doctor of pharmacy students. Results from the item "CM is an important aspect of my culture" were correlated with all other items using Spearman's correlation coefficient.

FINDINGS

Senior students who had completed a two-credit hour course appeared to be more confident in their practice skills relating to CM and showed positive correlations with culture and effectiveness of CM. Senior students acknowledged the importance of CM knowledge as a student and within pharmacy practice. Junior students showed a positive correlation with culture and past use.

SUMMARY

Pharmacy students in the Ccollege of pharmacy were positive towards the use of CM, with culture playing an important role. Students who perceived CM as an important aspect of their culture were more confident in their practice skills relating to CM. Future research is required to assess impact of students' cultural beliefs on practice.

Use of traditional medicine for dental care by different ethnic groups in New Zealand

BACKGROUND

There is an increasing public interest in the use of TM internationally, yet there is a paucity of research on the use of TM by the public in the dental setting. This study aimed to explore the views, use of and access to TM in dentistry among different ethnic groups residing in New Zealand.

METHODS

Qualitative study and in-depth interviews were used. An individual semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using an inductive approach to identify the main themes.

RESULTS

Three main themes were extracted from interviews with 14 participants from diverse cultural backgrounds: [1] the perspectives of TM varied among different ethnic groups and included the involvement of spirituality, the environment, knowledge and usage of TM. [2] The TM that was used by different ethnic groups included plants, herbs, massage, and other forms of healing. Reasons for choosing traditional or western medicines generally included family tradition, access to TM, and finding a competent traditional healer. [3] The barriers in accessing TM included the paucity of traditional healers, difficulty accessing plants and cost, therefore most would look for a substitution or alternative treatment.

CONCLUSION

Even though the access to these TM in New Zealand was a challenge for the majority of the participants, they are still considered the first-line treatment for the majority. This study provided dental practitioners an insight into the different sort of TM used by the population. By understanding and acknowledging the use of TM, dental practitioners could create a supportive environment for patients to disclose their use of TM and allow them to educate patients on the use of TM.

Dental students' knowledge of and attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine in Australia - An exploratory study

OBJECTIVES

While complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is used by more than half of Australians, its role in dentistry is rarely covered in the curricula of Australian dental schools. This study aimed to investigate dental students' knowledge of and attitudes towards CAM.

DESIGN

Australian dental students in the final two years of their study were invited to undertake a survey. These questions consisted of five clinically relevant case vignettes, for which there was only one correct answer amongst four possible options and seven self-reported perspective-based questions. Results were analysed using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

Of the 185 students that participated, the mean correct response rate for the five clinical scenarios was 3.46 ± 0.95 (range: 0-5 out of 5). Of 185 students, 157 (85 %) answered more than half of the questions correctly. All five questions were answered correctly by 19 (10 %) students. Most (74 %) students self-reported to have little to no knowledge. More than two-thirds of dental students reported an interest in and belief in the effectiveness of CAM. A similar proportion expressed a desire for the integration of CAM content into their undergraduate curriculum.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite approximately three out of four of dental students in this study having little to no knowledge on CAM, attitudes towards CAM therapies, and the need to integrate them into the dental curriculum, were generally positive. Future research into identifying specific knowledge gaps could help to redesign improved dental curricula.

Academic education in health profession programs, knowledge and use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) by university students

OBJECTIVES

To assess the association of academic education in health professions programs with the knowledge and use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) by university students and to determine whether CAM can promote a healthy university environment.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was carried out with 512 university students enrolled in health professions programs in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, from April to November 2017. The Assessment Tool for Health Promotion at the University was used to collect sociodemographic, academic and CAM data. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed considering the outcomes "knowledge of CAM" and "CAM in the promotion of a healthy university environment" using SPSS Statistic version 20.0.

RESULTS

Data from 512 participants were analyzed. Women (n = 357; 69.7%), young students (n = 393; 76.8%) and unemployed students (n = 429; 83.8%) predominated. Knowledge of CAM was associated with health profession program (OR = 0.934; p = 0.047), paternal education (OR = 0.641; p = 0.024), employment (OR = 0.542; p = 0.028) and participation in extracurricular activities (OR = 1.275; p = 0.007). There was a proportional difference between knowledge and use of CAM ranging from 2:1 to 11:1 among the 21 modalities. University students believed that CAM could promote a healthy university environment (p = 0.000), which was influenced by gender (OR = 2.089; p = 0.004) and knowledge of CAM (OR = 16.601; p = 0.000).

CONCLUSIONS

University students' knowledge of CAM was influenced by the health profession program, paternal education, employment and participation in extracurricular activities. The percentage of use of CAM modalities was lower than the percentage of knowledge. University students' belief that CAM could foster a healthy university environment is influenced by gender and knowledge of CAM.