ARE NONTRADITIONAL TREATMENTS SUCH AS ACUPUNCTURE, PLANT-DERIVED MEDICINES AND HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES WORTH EXPLORING BY DENTAL RESEARCHERS?
They are indeed, said most of those responding to March JADA’s Question of the Month. Of the 137 readers who answered the question, 116 (about 85 percent) said they thought alternative treatments were worthy of scientific exploration—if only to help practitioners respond to patient inquiries and keep pace with what some patients are already doing.
"Patients ask about these alternative treatments all the time," noted one respondent. "It would be nice to be able to have factual, rather than anecdotal evidence that these treatments work."
Observed another, "More and more of my patients want to incorporate homeopathic with traditional dental therapy in hopes of gaining the most optimal outcome, but I don’t have any data to support this idea."
Added a third, "Since so many patients have gone the holistic/homeopathic route, we better be kept abreast of this."
Several respondents expressed concern that the plant-derived medicaments some patients are using could interact negatively with traditional medicines.
"Patients are using them [herbal remedies]," said one reader. "Practitioners should be aware of interactions and physiological effects."
Observed another, "Many herbal medications contain active chemicals that can be both beneficial and harmful if used in conjunction with our medications. They should be labeled to indicate active ingredients."
One reader called alternative treatments and herbal remedies "the wave of the future" and suggested that research in this area is lagging behind patient interest.
Wrote another respondent, "To ignore potential therapies on the basis that we currently don’t have any information as to their efficacy would seem to be a bit of a research ‘Catch 22.’ "
Still another called on the research community to "look for the needle of truth in the haystack of hype."
A few readers appeared already sold on the validity of alternative therapies. "Not only do these nontraditional methods of treatment work," said one, "they are often times better than traditional medicaments. It would be shortsighted for us not to study and research them."
Another respondent described his own experience with nontraditional care. "After two years of exhaustive, traditional Western medical tests and medications," he wrote, "my carpal tunnel problem—with numbness of wrist, fingers and constant pain—was resolved and is maintained by a massage technique called Bowen Therapy, utilizing acupressure and some chiropractic moves. I was amazed and am now a believer."
Most readers were reserving judgment of alternative therapies, while trying to keep an open mind. Said one, "Let’s not assume that a therapy that is not backed by double-blind studies is of no value or dangerous. On the other hand, ‘alternative’ doesn’t always mean ‘better.’ Studies will help all of us to discern the differences."
Added another reader, "Traditional treatment is only a part of the entire spectrum of dental and medical care. We need more definitive knowledge of non-traditional treatments so that they can be mainstreamed into the total treatment package."
One respondent said he favored researching alternative treatments "only to debunk their appeal." He was not alone in that.
"If nothing else," wrote another, "research will show that many of these modalities are worthless in treating patients. Their popularity is in the fact that they are cheap."
Just 17 of the 137 who responded to JADA’s question answered "no"—that researchers should not focus attention on nontraditional therapies. Four respondents answered "I don’t know" to the March question.
One who opposed research in this area blasted nontraditional therapies as "snake oil." Another insisted there was no clear-cut way of evaluating the safety and efficacy of alternative treatments.
He added simply, "If it ain’t tested, don’t use it."
