Assessment of Self - Medication among Dental Students

Introduction: In the recent years, there has been an increasing trend in self -medication with nonprescription drugs like antibiotics, analgesics are available in pharmacies and retail outlets.Self -medication is a component of self -care, and it is considered as primary public health resource in health care system.It can be defined as use of non -prescription medicines by people on their own initiative Though it is widely practiced globally, very few studies have evaluated its pattern and prevalence in dental students.Objective: The objective of this study is to study the prevalence and risk factors of self -medication practices among medical and dental undergraduate students. Materials and Methods: Descriptive cross -sectional questionnaire study was conducted on dental students from I BDS to IV BDS, interns, and postgraduate students. Results: A total of 84.1% % of respondents indulged in self -medication. Both male and female dental students equally had a habit of taking medicines on their own. The most common drugs used for self -medication were antibiotics (60.1%), followed by analgesics (65%), and cough syrups (49.7%). Most common reason not to see a doctor was that there is no need to see a doctor because of a minor problem (78%) followed by the lack of time (36%%). Conclusion: Most students indulged in the practice of self -medication though they had poor knowledge of the benefits and risks.