Dental Shame: A Call for Understanding and Addressing the Role of Shame in Oral Health

Abstract

This commentary highlights dental shame as a pervasive but underexplored phenomenon with significant implications for oral health and systemic inequities. It proposes dental shame as a critical lens for understanding and addressing the complex interplay between personal, social, economic, cultural and systemic factors contributing to oral health challenges. Drawing on interdisciplinary expertise, the authors collectively propose that dental shame is both a consequence and determinant of oral health issues, leading to a self-reinforcing dynamic of avoidance, withdrawal and exacerbated inequities. They identify five key aspects of oral health where dental shame warrants deeper investigation: clinical encounters, care and social services, daily oral health behaviours, systemic inequities and psychological trauma. On this basis, the authors call for more research on dental shame and advocate for shame-sensitive practices in dentistry and other health care and social settings. This approach includes fostering shame competence in practitioners, addressing systemic barriers and designing empathetic, inclusive care environments. Ultimately, the authors state that understanding and addressing dental shame can transform oral health promotion, reduce inequities and improve overall health outcomes.

Keywords: dental anxiety; dental shame; ohrool; oral health inequities; shame; stigma.