Original Research Article DOI: 10.18231/2395-499X.2016.0009 International Journal of Oral Health Dentistry; October-December 2016;2(4):232-235 232 Prevalence of herbal supplement use among adult dental patients in Makkah city, Saudi Arabia Ohud S. Al-Zughaibi 1 , Lujain A. Filimban 2 , Salwa A. Aldahlawi 3,* 1,2 BDS, 3 Assistant Professor, Dental Intern, Faculty of Dentistry, Umm Alqura University, Saudi Arabia *Corresponding Author: Email: sadahlawi@udu.edu.sa, sadahlawi@gmail.com Abstract The use of herbal supplement (HS) is widespread in most population, especially among patients suffering from chronic illness. Herb drug interaction can cause a significant risk during dental. This study aimed at assessing the prevalence of herbal supplement use among adults seeking dental treatment in four governmental dental centers in Makkah City, SA and to report on the demographic of the HS users, their systemic health and the use of other medication alongside HS use. Material & Method: Self-administrated questionnaires used to collect information from adults seeking dental treatment at four governmental hospitals in Makkah city during 2015. The questionnaire collected demographic data and inquired about herbal use, type of herbs most commonly consumed, medical conditions and conventional drug and over the counter prescription use. Descriptive analysis was used for the report of the results. Results: Out of 500 questioners distributed, 300 were completed and included in the analysis. Seventy-nine percent of the responders reported using herbs for treatment or prevention of diseases with mint (mintha piperita) being the most frequently consumed. Twenty-seven percent of responders have at least one systemic disease. 81.8% of them, reported consuming both herbs and prescribed medication. By far 90.3% of the respondents with the systemic condition and under prescribed medicine are consuming herbs without informing their dentists. Even though 24.3% of the respondents assume that herbs have side effects, 58.6% of them believe herbal supplements are harmless. Conclusion: The majority of adult dental patients in Makkah city used herbal supplements regularly and a significant portion used prescription medication and herbal supplement concurrently. There was low disclosure of the herbal supplement use to the dentist putting the patients at increased risk of herbal-drug interaction. Keywords: Herbal supplement, Dental treatment, Herb- drug interaction. Introduction Since ancient times, people were exposed to herbs and natural products and used them to treat illness and/or improve health and wellbeing. Herbal supplements (HS) is defined as any form of a plant or plant product, including leaves, flowers, stems, roots and seeds, and they may contain a single herb or combinations of several different herbs that are believed to have complementary effects. (1) The use of HS is widespread, and on the rise, the world health organization estimated about 80% of the world population uses HS, most commonly used by patients suffering from chronic illness. In Saudi Arabia, 17 to 37% of medically compromised patients reported the use of HS as part of their treatment. (2,3) However, one study found that 91% of the subjects using HS did not consult their physician before purchasing herbal supplement for concurrent use alongside prescription medication. (4) The information on the prevalence of HS use among dental patients is very limited, Abebe et al. (2011) reported that 12.6 % of patients seeking dental treatment in dental school in the USA used at least one form of HS during the one month period prior to their dental visits, and that about 30% of them consumed the HS in addition to over the counter or prescription drug. (5) Although, most users believe HS are safe, (6) Serious adverse effects could occur especially with prolong use and large quantities consumption. The effect will be more significant in the case of patients using many different supplements together (7) or with the concurrent use of prescribed medication. (8) Interestingly enough, 70% of the users did not disclose their use of HS to their health care provider. (5) The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence of HS use among adults seeking dental treatment in four governmental dental centers in Makkah city and to report on the demographic of the HS users, their systemic health and the use of other medication. Material and Method A questionnaire-based study including adult patients (<18 years old) who are seeking dental treatment in four governmental dental centers in Makkah city, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was developed and administered in Arabic language. Two senior dental students approached patients waiting for their dental appointment, explained the purpose of the study and the questionnaire was given to the patients if they agreed to participate. Participant returned the questionnaire to the students after filling it out. The questionnaire included three parts. The first part contained questions about demographic data including age, gender, and education level. The second part included questions about the use of herbal supplements and the source of recommendation to use them. The participants were asked to list any herbs