RESUMO
AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate prevalence and pattern of self-medication with alternative medicine (ALM) among oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) patients with emphasis on treatment-switch analysis. METHODS: A total of 115 OSF patients were recruited and subjected to scientifically validated questionnaire. Two groups were identified: S-ALM: patients who have previously received modern medicinal treatment but switched to ALM; and DN-ALM: patients who started ALM from De Novo. RESULTS: A total of 37 (32.18%) patients reported use of the ALM at some point of time. Twenty-five (67.56%) switched to ALM, whereas 12 (32.43%) patients used ALM from De Novo. The pattern of switching to ALM in short period was significantly prevalent in patients with advanced stages (stage III and IV) as compared to early stages (stage I and II) of OSF. Clarified butter, glycerin, and honey were the most commonly used ALM in both the groups. The most common reasons for switching to ALM were the cost of treatment (32.00%), longer duration of medicinal treatment (24.00%) and ineffectiveness of the medications (24.00%). CONCLUSIONS: ALM usage is common in OSMF patients with significant percentage of patient switched from modern medicine to ALM. Therapeutic efficacy of ALM in OSF needs exploration in future.