ABSTRACT Objectives The present study was conducted to document the ethnomedicinal practices followed for oral health and diseases by people of Dakshina Kannada (DK) district, and to suggest that the traditional knowledge should be integrated with modern dental care practices to formulate their sustainable utilization. Methods An ethnomedicinal survey was conducted using specific questionnaire subsequent to personal interview to collect information from traditional healers, local inhabitants, ayurvedic practitioners and botanists on the use of medicinal plants in oral care practices. Results This study identified 32 species belonging to 29 genera and 20 families, commonly used by the people of DK region to maintain oral health and hygiene and as remedy for dental diseases. Conclusion Valuable ethnomedicinal practices are fast disappearing from rural population. New generation is ignorant of this traditional knowledge. So measures should be taken to document them and to increase the awareness among youngsters. This study will also be useful for the pharmacologists to isolate the active principles of these plants and incorporate it into the modern healthcare practices for easier and cheaper oral health treatments.