Use of traditional medicine for dental care by different ethnic groups in New Zealand
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
Use of traditional medicine for dental care by different ethnic groups in New Zealand Jun Guo1, Kah Seng Low2, Li Mei2*, Jia Hui Li3, Wenwen Qu4 and Guangzhao Guan5*
Abstract Background: There is an increasing public interest in the use of TM internationally, yet there is a paucity of research on the use of TM by the public in the dental setting. This study aimed to explore the views, use of and access to TM in dentistry among different ethnic groups residing in New Zealand. Methods: Qualitative study and in-depth interviews were used. An individual semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using an inductive approach to identify the main themes. Results: Three main themes were extracted from interviews with 14 participants from diverse cultural backgrounds: [1] the perspectives of TM varied among different ethnic groups and included the involvement of spirituality, the environment, knowledge and usage of TM. [2] The TM that was used by different ethnic groups included plants, herbs, massage, and other forms of healing. Reasons for choosing traditional or western medicines generally included family tradition, access to TM, and finding a competent traditional healer. [3] The barriers in accessing TM included the paucity of traditional healers, difficulty accessing plants and cost, therefore most would look for a substitution or alternative treatment. Conclusion: Even though the access to these TM in New Zealand was a challenge for the majority of the participants, they are still considered the first-line treatment for the majority. This study provided dental practitioners an insight into the different sort of TM used by the population. By understanding and acknowledging the use of TM, dental practitioners could create a supportive environment for patients to disclose their use of TM and allow them to educate patients on the use of TM. Keywords: Traditional medicine, Alternative medicine, Dentistry
Background Since ancient times, humans sought out cures for disease in nature. This was known as traditional medicine (TM), and it was considered the oldest form of healthcare [1]. It has been used over many centuries by diverse ethnic groups, and invaluable traditional knowledge has accumulated over many generations [2]. The history of TM * Correspondence: [email protected]; [email protected] 2 Department of Oral Sciences, Sir John Walsh Research Institute, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand 5 Department of Oral Diagnostic and Surgical Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, 310 Great King Street, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
can be traced from an ancient civilization, and it was evident that this information was passed down to the next generation as they played an important role as the primary source of health care [2]. With the introduction of western medicine, the medical systems based on traditional orient
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