Self-medication with antibiotics among Nigerian Dental Students

Introduction: Health workers are societal role models. Self-medication by health workers could result in an extraordinarily negative impact in the society. Objective: To determine the prevalence of self medication with antibiotics among Nigerian dental students. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey of 200 dental students of University of Benin, Nigeria was performed between April and June, 2009. A self-administered questionnaire was used to enquire on self-medication by antibiotics. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 15.0. Associations were tested using Chi square, significance set at P<0.05. Results: Response rate was 96.2%. The age range of the respondents was 16 to 35 years and Female: male ratio was 1:1.9. The prevalence of self medication with antibiotics in the 6 months preceding the survey was 53.5%. Amoxicillin was the most commonly self medicated antibiotics. The main factors influencing the choice of antibiotics were previous experience with the same illness and advice from pharmacy staff. Diarrhea, sore throat and common cold were the major reasons for self-medication with antibiotics. The predominant reason for self-medication among the respondents was previous experiences with similar ailments. Conclusion: The prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics among Nigerian dental students was high and amoxicillin was the most commonly self medicated antibiotics.Keywords: Self-medication, antibiotics, Dental student