This document discusses various taboos related to dentistry across different cultures. It identifies supernatural causes like beliefs in gods/goddesses, past sins, and evil eye influencing health as well as physical causes like weather, impure blood, and fear/nervousness. Customs, superstitions, and beliefs surrounding practices like using alum or tobacco for oral health, views on diarrhea and extractions, and treating lower caste doctors are taboo in some cultures. The document examines how these taboos and misbeliefs can negatively impact oral health and presents examples from various communities in India.

1. CHAITANYA.P
III MDS
Dept of Public Health Dentistry

2. Introduction
Causes for Taboo in Dentistry
Cultures.
Supernatural Causes.
Physical Causes.
Customs.
Superstitions.
Beliefs.
Myths: Taboo for Modern Dentistry.
Studies related to taboos in dentistry
Conclusion
Reference
Contents
2

3. Introduction
What is Taboo?
A Moral or Cautionary Restriction placed upon certain actions
by authorities (kings, priests, shamans, etc.) of people, which if
ignored will result in specific negative consequences.
Taboo is a strong social prohibition (or ban) relating to any area
of human activity or social custom declared as sacred and
forbidden; breaking of the taboo is usually considered
objectionable or abhorrent by society. The term was from the
Tongan language and appears in many Polynesian cultures. In
those cultures, a tabu (or tapu or kapu) often has specific religious
associations. Its first use in English was by James Cook in 1777.
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4. No taboo is known to be universal, but some (such as the incest
taboo) occur in the majority of societies. Taboos may serve many
functions, and often remain in effect after the original reason behind
them has expired. Some have argued that taboos therefore reveal the
history of societies when other records are lacking.
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5. Causes for Taboo in Dentistry
Culture is defined as “Learned behavior which has been
socially acquired.” Culture plays an important part in human
societies. It lays down norms of behaviour and provides
mechanisms which secure for an individual his personal and
social survival. It is now widely recognized that cultural factors
are deeply involved in all the affairs of man, including health
and sickness.
Culture:
5

6. Many cultural practices exist in any society. These can be classified in to
three types,
1.Practices that are of benefit to health, promotion, and prevention of
disease. Eg: these include practices that include washing of mouth thoroughly
after eating.
2.Practices that have no bearing on health, these are neither beneficial nor
harmful.
3.Practices those are harmful in various degrees to health.
Taboos come in the third type, where culture restricts the individual or
society from some of the acts that may actually benefit them. Some of the
common dental and medical taboos associated with culture are of two types…
1.Supernatural Causes
2.Physical Causes
6

7. 1. Supernatural Causes:
Wrath of Gods and Goddesses – There are people who
believe that certain diseases are due to the wrath of some God or
goddesses like smallpox and chicken pox. And therefore there are
misconceptions that administration of drug is considered harmful.
Cases are not notified and poojas are made to appease the gods
 Breach of taboo – Breach (breaking) of taboo is believed
by some people to be responsible for certain diseases, Like
Venereal diseases
 Past sins – Diseases such as leprosy and tuberculosis are
believed by some to be due to their past sins
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8.  Evil eye – Children are consisted to be most susceptible to the
effect of “evil eyes”. In order to ward off the effects of evil
eye, charms and amulets are prescribed & incantations recited
by the exorcist.
 Spirit or ghost intrusion – Some diseases such as hysteria
and epilepsy are regarded as due to a spirit or ghost intrusion
into the body.
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9. 2. Physical Causes:
The effects of weather – The exposure to heat during
summer is responsible for an attack of loo (heat stroke). The folk
remedies consist of application of oil and ghee on the soles of feet
and administration of mango phool with a pinch of salt.
Impure blood – Skin diseases, boils and scabies are
considered to be due to impure blood. Eating neem leaves &
flowers is considered to purify blood.
Nervousness, fear and even sheer terror are words to describe
the way millions of Americans and even some Indians going to the
dentist. Visions of invasive needles and drills and memories of
unpleasant and painful dentist visits during childhood continue to
keep people away in droves. As a result, people all too often delay
or skip a trip to the dentist, sacrificing the long-term condition of
their teeth and health. 9

10. Each culture has its own explanations for occurrence
of misfortunes, disasters and illnesses. The blame
may be on supernatural forces or witch or a sorcerer
Or it may be considered as punishment by God for
the sins committed. It is necessary to remember the
cultural influence in understanding how people will
and do react to ill-health, pain, or death.
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11. Customs
Definition: A long-established practice common to a
people or culture.
Custom—is a habitual group pattern of behavior that is
transmitted from one generation to another and is not biologically
determined. Since societies are perpetually changing, no matter
how slowly, all customs are basically impermanent. If short-lived,
they are more properly called fashions. Customs form the core of
human culture and are stronger and more persistent in
preindustrial societies than in industrial ones, in rural than in
urban areas. When formalized in the social or religious sphere it
leads to ethics, and when enforced in the sphere of rights and
duties, custom leads to law.
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12.  Customs are technically divided into “folkways”
and “mores”.
 The folkways are the right ways of doing things in
what is regarded as the less vital areas of human
conduct .
 The more stringent customs are called as “mores”
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13. Superstitions
 An irrational belief or practice resulting from ignorance or fear
of the unknown. The validity of superstitions is based on belief
in the power of magic and witchcraft and in such invisible forces
as spirits and demons.
 Ancient men and women worked hard to alleviate dental pain. As
early as 1550 B.C., Egyptians used various remedies for
toothache, which included such familiar ingredients as dough,
honey, onions, incense, and fennel seeds.
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14.  The Egyptians also turned to superstition for help in
preventing tooth pain. The mouse, which was considered to
be protected by the Sun and capable of fending off death, was
often used by individuals with a toothache. A common
remedy involved applying half of the body of a dead mouse to
the aching tooth while the body was still warm
 Ancient Greeks took a more superstitious approach, with
some depending on the mythical power of the mouse to
protect their teeth. A recipe for bad breath from the fifth
century B.C. called for a range of ingredients including the
bodies of three mice, including one whose intestines had been
removed, and the head of a hare. The ingredients were burned
and mixed with dust and water before consumption.
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15. Beliefs
Belief is something believed or accepted as true or the mental
act, condition, or habit of placing trust or confidence in another.
Belief, in philosophy is commitment to something, involving
intellectual assent.
Belief in the psychological sense, is a representational mental
state that takes the form of a propositional attitude. In the religious
sense, "belief" refers to a part of a wider spiritual or moral
foundation, generally called faith; historically generated by a
group's need to provide a functionally valid foundation to sustain
them. The generally accepted faiths usually note that when
oppressive states are generated by it being exercised, and not a fact
of reality, it was in need of more revelation or clarification.
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16. Belief is considered prepositional in that it is an assertion,
claim or expectation about reality that is presumed to be
either true or false (even if this cannot be practically
determined, such as a belief in the existence of a particular
deity). Historically, philosophical attempts to analyze the
nature of belief have been couched in terms of judgment.
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17. There is a belief that alum rinses help the gums to become
stronger .Some persons use alum for gingival massage. The feeling
created by the astringent action of alum gives them a feeling that
the gums have become stronger. Gingival massage does not reach
places where gingivitis starts.
There is also a widely held belief that chewing tobacco
strengthens teeth & gums. Tobacco is supposed by many to have an
antiseptic effect in oral cavity. This belief leads to the practice of
using tobacco& more often “mishri”,which is burnt tobacco as a
dentifrice. Mishri is the most commonly used form of tobacco in
women.
17

18. There is a belief that diarrhea in children during primary
dentition is a normal phenomenon. Some believe that diarrhea
takes out the heat in the body. Mothers are therefore reluctant to
get their children treated to stop diarrhea. Added to this is another
misbelief that the child having diarrhea should not be fed milk or
given any food. This leads to malnutrition in toddler age group
when the nutritional status may already be compromised due to
poverty, ignorance.
Offering betel leaf or pan is a way of showing that a visitor
is welcome.
Fasting: People of one particular community in India
during fasting time do not get extractions done as analgesia is to
be given and at the same time scaling and polishing is also not
allowed by them. As bleeding can occur and it may be swallowed
also.
18

19. People of upper casts don’t go to lower cast doctors for treatment
thinking that their religion will be spoiled.
Jains of north India consider taking an injection as taboo, so
strong is their belief that they go to the extent of getting a tooth
extracted without an local anesthetic injection.
When deciduous teeth exfoliate children as well as parents
believe that if they keep the exfoliated teeth under rock or throw
on top of the roof they will get teeth as strong as stone. And they
also believe that if they keep their exfoliated teeth in a rat hole
they will get teeth as strong and sharp as rat teeth.
Some people believe that if the child was born with neonatal
teeth, it is danger to be grand parents.
19

20. Over the past 20 years there has been an explosion in the
number of techniques, materials and concepts advocated for
clinical dentistry. Unfortunately, this explosion is mild compared
with the number of myths, falsehoods and downright lies which
have accompanied these ideas.
Some of the myths are taboo for the development of modern
dentistry…
20

21. Myth- Removal of upper teeth affects vision.
Fact - There is a taboo among many people that
removal of the upper teeth affects vision. This is a
misconception. Vision is not affected in any way by
undertaking treatment of the upper teeth including
its extraction.
Mythri H, Santhosh Kumar R. Perceived myths about oral health
in India. Indian Journal of Dental Research. 2015; 26(3):333.21

22. Myth - Thumb sucking by children leads to
forward placement of upper teeth.
Fact - Thumb sucking is a normal infant habit, which makes
the child feel secure and happy. It usually decreases after
the age of 3 years. However, if the habit persists beyond
the age of 4-5 years it can cause problems of the teeth
including forward placement of the teeth. In these children,
depending upon the frequency and severity of the habit an
intervention of the habit by a dental surgeon may be
required.
22

23. Myth - Once a decayed tooth is treated the dental problem is
over.
Fact - Dental decay is treated by use of various restorative
materials. However the artificial material usually will not
completely match the tooth in strength, colour, smoothness
and other qualities. In addition if the patient does not
maintain good hygiene, decay can start again around
restorations. Hence, whenever a tooth is filled or replaced it
requires use of additional cleaning methods like flossing,
interdental brushes, etc, in addition to regular tooth brushing.
In addition dental check up once a year becomes all the more
important when you have a treated tooth.
23

24. Myth - Professional cleaning/scaling/removal of tartar loosens the teeth.
Fact - Teeth are held firmly by the supporting tissues of the periodontium including
bone. Bad oral hygiene results in the deposition of tartar /calculus on the tooth
surface. These deposits irritate the gums and can cause inflammation and
bleeding of the gums. If the tartar is not removed, the gums may recede and the
supporting bone around the teeth gets destroyed. The tartar on the teeth thus
causes great harm to the supporting tissues of the teeth. However, patients may
experience slight mobility of the teeth after tartar is removed as it kind of binds
the teeth together. Professional cleaning removes this tartar and arrests further
destruction of supporting bone. Removal of tartar deposits only helps to recover
the health of supporting structures. This chain of events does not take place in
people who have dental checkup regularly
Mythri H, Santhosh Kumar R. Perceived myths about oral health
in India. Indian Journal of Dental Research. 2015; 26(3):333.24

25. Myth- Dental procedures are always painful.
Fact - Most dental procedures are carried out under local
anesthesia, which makes the procedures totally painless. In
addition the modern day high-speed drills cause less vibrations
and are more comfortable for the patients.
25

26. Myth - Dental treatment should be avoided during pregnancy.
Fact - The above notion is not true. Many a times dental treatment is
provided even during late pregnancy. Routine dental procedures
can be carried out without any fear. However, major surgical
procedure may require medical opinion before treatment. Dental
X-rays are to be avoided during the first three months of
pregnancy.
Myth - Cleaning the teeth with finger & powder is better than with
toothbrush.
Fact – The use of a tooth brush with bristles to clean plaque and
food particles from almost all the surfaces of the teeth. The finger
may not reach all the areas as well as a brush does. Hence, it is
recommended to use a toothbrush with paste to clean the teeth
and freshen the mouth. Finger can only be used to massage the
gums after brushing is complete.
26

27. Myth- Charcoal, salt, rice husk, tobacco, etc, in powder
form is better than toothpaste in cleaning teeth.
Fact - The objective of cleaning the teeth is to remove the plaque and
food particles on and around the teeth by the bristles of a toothbrush
with the help of a toothpaste or powder. A standard paste or powder
contains proper sized particles, which are not harmful to the teeth.
However, other powders are coarse and can erode the outer layer of
the teeth and permanently damage them. Hence, only standard
toothpaste or powder should be used with a toothbrush. Toothpaste is
better than powder as it can easily be dispensed on the brush and it
may contain fluorides, anti-tartar chemicals, etc. The foaming action
of the toothpaste also helps to freshen the mouth. Tobacco should not
be used. Users enjoy the euphoric effect of nicotine present in tobacco
rather than cleaning of the teeth and slowly become addicted to it.
Hence, it should never be used.
Mythri H, Santhosh Kumar R. Perceived myths about oral health
in India. Indian Journal of Dental Research. 2015; 26(3):333.27

28. Myth - A child never needs cleaning of milk teeth.
Fact - It is a myth that we need not clean a child's teeth. Children
are as much prone for dental decay or gum diseases as adults.
In fact children tend to have sweet food including sweetened
milk and juices which can promote dental caries. So it is
advisable to start the habit of cleaning the infant's teeth soon
after they appear in the mouth. In fact it is advised to clean
baby’s gum pads everyday by gentle massage even before the
teeth erupt.
Mythri H, Santhosh Kumar R. Perceived myths about oral health
in India. Indian Journal of Dental Research. 2015; 26(3):333.28

29. Myth - Milk teeth need not be cared for because they last only
for a few years, and these teeth will anyway be replaced by
permanent teeth.
Fact - Early loss of milk teeth will interfere with chewing and
affect the child’s nutrition. Early loss of milk teeth leads to
drifting of the adjacent teeth and closure of some of the space
that is required for the succeeding permanent teeth to erupt
into. Such a loss of space will cause the permanent teeth to
erupt in irregular position and result in crowding. Therefore
milk teeth need to be cared for as much as permanent teeth.
Mythri H, Santhosh Kumar R. Perceived myths about oral health
in India. Indian Journal of Dental Research. 2015; 26(3):333.29

30. Myth - When the gums bleed, it is better not to brush the teeth.
Fact -Bleeding of gums is a sign that they are inflamed and are not
healthy. This usually is a result of plaque and food particles
accumulating around the teeth. Until this collection is removed,
the gums continue to bleed. This is an indication that the
individual needs to visit a dentist for opinion and treatment.
Brushing the teeth with a soft toothbrush by the proper
technique removes the plaque and helps the gums recover. Initial
bleeding seen during brushing gradually reduces over a period
of time.
30

31. Myth - Keeping an aspirin tablet beside a painful tooth reduces the
tooth pain.
Fact - A toothache cannot be relieved by placing an aspirin tablet
anywhere in the mouth. In fact this is a dangerous habit as it
causes burns of the soft tissues around the area of placement.
Hence, aspirin tablets should not be placed in mouth but
swallowed after eating some food to relieve the pain.
Myth - When an artificial set of teeth are worn, the upper denture
logically has to fall down in the mouth and create problems,
however the lower denture that should rest in place does not stay.
Fact - Although the lower denture rests on the ridges of jaw, it does
get easily dislodged because of the interference of the muscles of
check, lips tongue and movement of the jaw during function.
However, with time the muscles learn to co-ordinate with the
lower denture and the patient overcomes this problem. The upper
denture, on the other hand stays in its place due to creation of
suction under the palate. 31

32. Myth: Tooth-whitening will make all my teeth,
fillings, veneers, crowns and bridges white
Reality: Only teeth whiten. No whitening products
affect crowns, bridges, veneers, bonding and fillings.
Be careful.. otherwise you may end up with light teeth
and dark restorations. Also, if you require any dental
work, consider whitening before you begin treatment,
so that your crowns and other restorations can be made
to match your newly whitened teeth!
32

33. Myth: Now that my teeth are lighter, I will never have to do it
again.
Reality: The color stability depends on how well you clean
your teeth, the frequency of consuming foods or beverages
that stain, and if you have kicked the smoking habit. In most
cases it takes much less time to do a touch-up than the
original whitening process
Myth: Cut brinjals will change their color to black
Reality: Some people believe that staining of the teeth is
because of eating brinjal.
33
Mythri H, Santhosh Kumar R. Perceived myths about oral health
in India. Indian Journal of Dental Research. 2015; 26(3):333.

34. Myth : The mouth has no relationship to the rest of the
body’s health.
Truth: The condition of your teeth can affect
our overall systemic health.
34

35. Myth: Brushing, flossing and mouthwash will eliminate bad breath.
Truth: These actions temporarily mask the smell, but are only
eliminated when your teeth are professionally cleaned by a
hygienist or dentist.
Myth: Dentists do not need many credentials to practice.
Truth: Licensing of dentists is heavily regulated. Dentistry has
become a full-fledged healthcare science that demands post-
graduate certification training.
35

36. Dr.N.Saravanan, Dr.R.Thiruneervannan. Assessment of Dental Myths among
Dental Patients in Salem City. JIPHD. 2011; 18 (SUPPL. I): 359-363. 36

37. Dr.N.Saravanan, Dr.R.Thiruneervannan. Assessment of Dental Myths among
Dental Patients in Salem City. JIPHD. 2011; 18 (SUPPL. I): 359-363. 37

38. Ref: Tasneem S Ain, Owais Gowhar, Saima Sultan. Prevalence of Perceived Myths Regarding
Oral Health and Oral Cancer-causing Habits in Kashmir, India. International Journal of
Scientific Study. 2016: 4(3);45-49.
38

39. Archana Rai, Ipseeta Menon,2Aruna DS, Avnish Singh. Association between
taboos in dentistry and oral health behavior among adult population of
Ghaziabad. J Dent Specialities.2016;4(1):14-20.
39

40. Dr N Sarah Sheela Emerald, Dr VChandraSekhara Reddy, Dr N Sudhakar Rao.
Dental Health Myths and Misconceptions among Yanadi Tribe of Gonepalli
Village, Nellore District, India: A Cross-Sectional Study. International Journal of
Humanities and Social Science Invention .2016;5(12):9-15 40

41. Dr N Sarah Sheela Emerald, Dr VChandraSekhara Reddy, Dr N Sudhakar Rao.
Dental Health Myths and Misconceptions among Yanadi Tribe of Gonepalli
Village, Nellore District, India: A Cross-Sectional Study. International Journal of
Humanities and Social Science Invention .2016;5(12):9-15
41

42. Ghanta Bhanu Kiran et al. Evaluation of dent-o-myths among
adult population living in a rural region of Andhra Pradesh, India:
A cross-sectional study. J NTR Univ Health Sci 2016;5:130-6.
42

43. Ghanta Bhanu Kiran et al. Evaluation of dent-o-myths among
adult population living in a rural region of Andhra Pradesh, India:
A cross-sectional study. J NTR Univ Health Sci 2016;5:130-6.
43

44. So these are some of the general taboos and the
factors affecting them. As a dentist it is our utmost duty
to educate people, remove myths from their mind,
which may subsequently affect the general health and
well being of the society. We should communicate with
people in a manner, which will highlight the benefits
which will result from treatment. They should be
convinced. The patient who is convinced about the
ultimate benefit has a better tolerance of pain(taboo
which is usually associated with dentist) than a patient
who is not highly motivated…
Conclusion
44

45. Reference
1. Dr.N.Saravanan, Dr.R.Thiruneervannan. Assessment of Dental Myths
among Dental Patients in Salem City. JIPHD. 2011; 18 (SUPPL. I):
359-363.
2. Mythri H, Santhosh Kumar R. Perceived myths about oral health in
India. Indian Journal of Dental Research. 2015; 26(3):333.
3. Tasneem S Ain, Owais Gowhar, Saima Sultan. Prevalence of Perceived
Myths Regarding Oral Health and Oral Cancer-causing Habits in
Kashmir, India. International Journal of Scientific Study. 2016; 4(3):45-
49.
4. Archana Rai, Ipseeta Menon,2Aruna DS, Avnish Singh. Association
between taboos in dentistry and oral health behavior among adult
population of Ghaziabad. J Dent Specialities.2016;4(1):14-20. 45

46. 5. Dr N Sarah Sheela Emerald, Dr VChandraSekhara Reddy, Dr N
Sudhakar Rao. Dental Health Myths and Misconceptions among Yanadi
Tribe of Gonepalli Village, Nellore District, India: A Cross-Sectional
Study. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science
Invention .2016;5(12):9-15.
6. Ghanta Bhanu Kiran et al. Evaluation of dent-o-myths among adult
population living in a rural region of Andhra Pradesh, India: A cross-
sectional study. J NTR Univ Health Sci 2016;5:130-6.
7. Poonam Pandya et al. Dental Care: Social Myths and Taboos. People’s
Journal of Scientific Research. 2 0 1 6 ; 9(2):42-46
46

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