Sohal Karpal Singh, Jeremiah Linus, Okechi Uchenna, Agbor Ashu Michael
Department of Oral Health Services Muhimbili National Hospital Dar es Salaam Tanzania.
Department of Orthodontics, Paedodontics and Community Dentistry Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences Dar es Salaam Tanzania.
Health Sci Rep. 2024 Aug 31;7(9):e70032. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.70032. eCollection 2024 Sep.
Self-medication is a common practice worldwide, and its prevalence ranges between 20% and 80% among patients suffering from dental pain. The socioeconomic status of an individual plays a key role in self-medication practice, especially sex and education level. This study aims to investigate the extent of self-medication practice for toothache due to dental caries among adults in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
This was an analytical cross-sectional study carried out over 6 months. It included adult patients presenting with toothache in public dental clinics. A questionnaire captured information on demography, self-medication practice, the substance used for self-medication, duration of self-medication, and reason for self-medication. Univariate analysis was carried out to assess factors associated with self-care remedies. The probability level of < 0.05 was selected for statistical significance.
A total of 420 participants took part in this survey with a majority (54.3%) being females. The ages of the participants ranged between 18 years and 79 years, with a mean age of 33.37 (SD = 12.64) years. Nearly all (98.5%) participants used some sort of self-prescribed remedies for managing toothache before attending a dental clinic for appropriate treatment. The sociodemographic status of the participants did not influence the practice of self-medication.
About 98% of patients suffering from toothache in Tanzania practice self-medication, and it cuts across all social strata of the adult dental population.
Patients with toothache secondary to dental caries participated in the pilot study and were consulted on the suitability of the study tool.
自我药疗在全球都是一种常见现象，在患有牙痛的患者中，其发生率在20%至80%之间。个人的社会经济状况在自我药疗行为中起着关键作用，尤其是性别和教育水平。本研究旨在调查坦桑尼亚达累斯萨拉姆成年人中因龋齿导致牙痛的自我药疗程度。
这是一项为期6个月的分析性横断面研究。研究对象包括在公立牙科诊所就诊的成年牙痛患者。通过问卷调查收集有关人口统计学、自我药疗行为、自我药疗所用药物、自我药疗持续时间以及自我药疗原因等信息。进行单因素分析以评估与自我护理疗法相关的因素。选取P < 0.05作为具有统计学意义的概率水平。
共有420名参与者参与了本次调查，其中大多数（54.3%）为女性。参与者年龄在18岁至79岁之间，平均年龄为33.37（标准差 = 12.64）岁。几乎所有（98.5%）参与者在前往牙科诊所接受适当治疗之前，都使用了某种自行开的药物来缓解牙痛。参与者的社会人口统计学状况并未影响自我药疗行为。
在坦桑尼亚，约98%的牙痛患者会进行自我药疗，且涵盖了成年牙科患者的所有社会阶层。
继发于龋齿的牙痛患者参与了初步研究，并就研究工具的适用性接受了咨询。
