Alternative Medicine in Prosthodontics

Unconventional medicine (UM) has been known and practiced since the recorded history of civilization. Some unconventional practices may be viewed as “the continuity of traditions, religious beliefs, and even quackery that non-specialists practice. These practices have been associated with religious beliefs and the spiritual domain as well as with the physical domain. Dentistry, like medicine, is a traditional, science-based, highly regulated healthcare profession that serves increasingly sophisticated and demanding clients. Today, traditional dental practice is dealing with an array of challenges to the established professional system; these challenges are generally termed “alternative” (or complementary, unconventional, or integrative). Out of the various alternative practice modalities, there are a few that proved to be beneficial as an adjunct which are acupressure, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, homeopathy, ayurveda and herbal medicine.