Background and Aim: This cross-sectional study aimed toinvestigate home-based methods used by individuals to managetoothache and to explore their associations with oral health andsociodemographic factors.Materials and Methods: A total of 327 participants completeda structured questionnaire, and Decayed, Missing, and FilledTeeth (DMFT) scores were determined through clinical andradiographic examination. Descriptive statistics and comparativeanalyses (Chi-square and Fisher’s Exact tests, p < 0.05) wereperformed.Results: The most common self-care practices for toothacheincluded self-medication with analgesics (72.0%), and homebasedremedies, including saltwater rinses (55.8%), andherbal methods (65.2%); however, only 16.5% of participantsperceived these methods as safe and effective. Education levelwas significantly associated with both the first response totoothache (p = 0.021) and DMFT index (p = 0.004). Moreover,education correlated positively with consulting online sources (p< 0.001) and health professionals (p = 0.038), while gender wasassociated with choosing pharmacist advice (p = 0.007).Conclusions: Although home-based self-care practices fortoothache are widespread, they provide only temporary relief andmay delay appropriate endodontic care. Enhancing oral healthliteracy and promoting timely professional consultation couldimprove both endodontic and community oral health outcomes.
Gökyar et al. (Fri,) studied this question.