BackgroundTraditional medicine (TM) has been established as a two-edged sword. On one edge numerous forms of TM have been proven safe and effective, while on the other edge various modes of TM have been shown to be futile and potentially dangerous. Resorting to TM, especially for chronic diseases, is common world-wide and includes Saudi Arabia. Most neurological diseases are chronic. No data is available on the utilization of TM among patients with neurological disorders. We conducted this study to assess for the prevalence, pattern, perception and triggers for TM use by the adult Saudi patients with neurological disorders.MethodsA survey written in Arabic and comprised of 15 questions was used to collect data on the practice of TM among the neurology patients of King Saud University Ambulatory Clinic. The questions in the survey pertain mainly to the frequency of TM practice, its form and the patient’s opinion of this practice. The data was collected through a face to face interview by three medical students who were instructed on the survey questions prior to the launch of the study.Results292 patients completed the survey (35.9% males and 64.0% females). 67% (n = 196) of the sample used TM. Cupping or what is commonly known as “hojamah” was the most prevalent method (45.4%) followed by herbs, skin cauterization and the Reciting of the Holy Quran (42.3%, 33.7% and 20.4% respectively). The prevalence of TM use did not differ across gender (chi-sq = 2.02; p-value = 0.15), level of education (chi-sq = 4.02; p-value = 0.40), health status (chi-sq = 2.29; p-value = 0.68), age groups (chi-sq = 5.12; p-value = 0.16), or perception toward TM (chi-sq = 2.67; p-value = 0.26) in this population.ConclusionThe practice of TM is common among the neurology patients of Saudi Arabia. Cupping, herbs, and skin cauterization, which can be harmful when wrongly employed, are frequently utilized in this patient population. Measures and policies to endorse the appropriate use of TM by Saudi society must be implemented promptly.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12906-015-0623-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Introduction: Foreign body inhalation (FBI) is a serious and common emergency in children. Such children present in the emergency room (ER) with cough, shortness of breath, choking, or wheezing but rarely present with pneumomediastinum. Patient concerns: Three children aged 2 to 5 years (2 girls and 1 boy) were seen in our ER complaining of FBI. Emergency bronchoscopy removal of the inhaled foreign body was performed; however, all 3 patients developed pneumomediastinum. Diagnosis: A foreign body inhalation complicated by Pneumomediastinum/pneumothorax. Intervention and outcomes: All the patients underwent emergency bronchoscopy and foreign body removal. After the ER intervention, 2 children were placed in the pediatric intensive care unit, and the pneumomediastinum resolved without intervention. The third patient required an operation for chest tube placement, which was then observed in the pediatric intensive care unit, and had several chest radiography follow-ups. After 5 days, the patient exhibited clinical improvement, and the chest tube was removed. Conclusion: In this case series, we present 3 cases of children aged 2 to 5 years seen in our ER with a history of different types of organic FBI complicated by pneumomediastinum/pneumothorax. Pneumomediastinum/pneumothorax is a rare complication of FBI in pediatric patients. However, such complications require multidisciplinary collaboration for early diagnosis and intervention.

Objective: Implant therapy has gained wide popularity in the recent years. A complete information on implant therapy should be provided to patient by the dentist. The aim of present study is to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, source of information and acceptance of dental implants among the general population in the Southern region of Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A total of 712 patients were randomly selected from the OPD of dental hospitals across the southern region of Saudi Arabia. The designed questionnaire comprised of 15 open-ended questions. Only Saudi national population was selected for the survey. The questionnaire was divided into demographic data, knowledge, attitude and participant's acceptance towards implant therapy. The collected data were statistically analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Results: Out of 712 participants, 675 complete the survey. 59.1% were male and 41.9% were females with an average age of 39.6 years old. All variables except for age showed statistically significant difference in the knowledge about implant among the study groups (p<0.05). The knowledge score was directly related to education and professional status of the participants. Majority of the patients (66%) with a history of implant therapy were satisfied with the placed implant. 41% of the participants reported high cost as a limiting factor for selecting an implant treatment. Conclusions: Population from the southern region of Saudi Arabia has moderate knowledge about dental implant treatment. Dentists were found to be the most important source of information to the patient. The major barrier for not selecting implant treatment was the high cost of the implant therapy.