Dental self-medication among adults attending a university periodontology clinic in Türkiye: prevalence, patterns, and associated factors

Background To estimate the prevalence of dental self-medication (D-SM), characterize its patterns, and identify associated sociodemographic and care-seeking factors among adults attending a university periodontology clinic in Türkiye. Methods This cross-sectional study included 253 adult patients who attended the Periodontology Clinic at the Uşak University Faculty of Dentistry. Data were collected using a 27-item structured questionnaire that assessed sociodemographic characteristics, oral health behaviors, D-SM practices, clinical triggers, and disclosure of D-SM to dentists. As participants were recruited consecutively from a single university periodontology clinic, the sample represents a specific clinical population rather than the general adult population. Results Overall, 24.1% of participants reported D-SM. The most common reason for D-SM was difficulty obtaining a dental appointment (26.2%), with toothache being the main clinical trigger (73.8%). Among those practicing D-SM, 75.4% initially used pharmacological agents, mainly analgesics; among these pharmacological-agent users, antibiotic use was reported by 10.9%. In the multivariable model, employment in a non-health sector (aOR = 3.65, 95% CI: 1.49–8.94), employment in a health-related sector (aOR = 3.30, 95% CI: 1.12–9.75), a non-dentist first point of contact (aOR = 6.82, 95% CI: 2.49–18.72), and non-prescription medication use for dental problems within the previous 6 months (aOR = 2.92, 95% CI: 1.42–6.03) were associated with D-SM. Additionally, 59.0% of self-medicating participants did not disclose this behavior to their dentists. Conclusion Among adults attending a university periodontology clinic, D-SM was reported by approximately one in four participants and was predominantly symptom-driven. In the adjusted model, occupational status, a non-dentist first point of contact, and recent non-prescription medication use were associated with D-SM. These patterns describe this specific clinic-based population and are not generalizable to the wider adult population. The findings support incorporating questions about non-prescription and herbal product use into routine dental history-taking and strengthening rational medication-use education, including guidance on the cautious use of online health information.