J Calif Dent Assoc. 1998 Mar; 26(3): 191-8.

Alternative dental products.

Jacobsen PL, Cohan RP.

UOP School of Dentistry, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA.

Alternative, complementary or holistic health care is a growing area of medicine and dentistry. There are a variety of dental products promoted as an "alternative" to the standard commercial dental products that most dentists recommend and most patients use. These alternative products can be categorized as standard dental products made with natural ingredients, herbal products, homeopathic products, and synthetic alternative products. The use of dental care products should be based upon sound basic science and sufficient evidence of safety and efficacy. Dental health care providers should be aware of the range of alternative dental products and be able to help their patients understand the type of support/evidence needed to determine safety and efficacy of treatment.