Do the physicians recommend the use of amber jewelry for teething symptoms?

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Recently, the use of amber jewelery in the elimination of complaints during the period of tooth eruption has been increasing especially with the effect of social media. It is suggested that amber has analgesic, antipyretic and antiinflammatory properties and amber jewelery is offered to the market for use in infants. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the recommendations of medical doctors and dentists related to the use of amber and to review the literature on this subject MATERIALS and METHODS: A questionnaire consisting of 10 questions was prepared for the study. Dentists, pedodontists, pediatricians, and family physicians, who were closely associated with the complaints of infants during the period of teething, were included in the study. RESULTS: A total of 246 physicians (188 females, 58 males) who completed the questionnaire completely were included in the study. Only 8.5% of the physicians reported that they recommended amber to their patients during teething period. The amber was recommended by physicians (6.2%) who were between 20-30 years old (p <0.05). It was found that medical doctors (19.5%) recommended amber more commonly than dentists (3%) (p <0.05). As a branch, it was found that family physicians recommended amber more than other physicians (p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: As a result, the vast majority of the physicians in our study reported that they did not recommend amber for symptoms during the dental eruption period. It is important for parents to seek scientific advice from physicians before applying traditional or complementary medical methods to their babies, in order to avoid possible complications.As a result, it is believed that all health professionals should be aware of products that are not proven effective, such as amber, that abuse the parental beliefs by marketing firms, and that they are not safe to use in young children and are responsible for disseminating scientific evidence-based information. © 2020, Galenos Yayincilik,. All rights reserved.