{"id":30369,"date":"2025-10-10T18:34:59","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T18:34:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=30369"},"modified":"2025-10-10T18:35:01","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T18:35:01","slug":"dental-shame-stops-people-from-seeking-necessary-oral-health-care-new-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/dental-shame-stops-people-from-seeking-necessary-oral-health-care-new-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Dental Shame Stops People From Seeking Necessary Oral Health Care: New Study"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">A new study uncovers how dental shame prevents many from seeking necessary care, exacerbating oral health inequalities. Researchers call for non-judgmental, inclusive care to combat this issue.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px;\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In a recent study that delivers a wake-up call to the health care community, researchers have found that feelings of shame surrounding dental issues can prevent individuals from seeking necessary treatments, exacerbating oral health inequalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study, conducted by Louise Folker, Esben Boeskov \u00d8zhayat and Astrid Pernille Jespersen<sup>\u00a0<\/sup>from the University of Copenhagen,\u00a0Luna Dolezal, from the University of Exeter, Lyndsey Withers, a community volunteer, Martha Paisi, from Peninsula Dental School at the University of Plymouth, and Christina Worle, a dentist, emphasizes the deeply rooted impact of dental shame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShame can help explain why some people don\u2019t like to expose their teeth to dentists or tell them they smoke or have a poor diet,&#8221; Dolezal, a professor at the University of Exeter and leader of its Shame and Medicine research project, said in a news release. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;This can turn dental shame into a self-reinforcing spiral, where shame about oral health can lead to unfortunate oral health behaviours, which can potentially intensify oral health issues and inequities, leading to more shame.,&#8221; she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The researchers spotlight how individuals, especially those from vulnerable backgrounds or who have experienced deprivation, trauma or abuse, are disproportionately affected by dental shame. This phenomenon often leads to lower self-worth, social isolation and neglect of oral health care, thus worsening their conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shame, both intentional and unintentional, can be fostered by health care practitioners. However, using shame to try to motivate positive health behaviors does not guarantee beneficial change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt is important to have non-judgmental environments where patients feel trustful and empowered to prioritize their oral health,\u201d added Dolezal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study, <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/cdoe.70019\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, underscores the necessity for those in dentistry and related health and social care fields to be trained in &#8220;shame competence.&#8221; This involves understanding and addressing systemic barriers that contribute to dental shame, designing empathetic and inclusive care environments, and identifying and mitigating shame dynamics in policies and practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Such training could lead to systemic changes, ensuring the creation of supportive environments where individuals feel safe and motivated to seek the dental care they need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The researchers also point out that health care fee structures can exacerbate dental shame, indicating the need for policy reform to make dental care more accessible and less stigmatizing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The findings are part of the Lifelong Oral Health project at the University of Copenhagen, which aims to identify barriers to oral health in Danish elderly care settings and acknowledges the significant impact of dental shame in these environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:13px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/news.exeter.ac.uk\/faculty-of-humanities-arts-and-social-sciences\/dental-shame-stops-people-seeking-help-for-oral-health-issues-study-warns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">University of Exeter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a recent study that delivers a wake-up call to the health care community, researchers have found that feelings of shame surrounding dental issues can prevent individuals from seeking necessary treatments, exacerbating oral health inequalities. The study, conducted by Louise Folker, Esben Boeskov \u00d8zhayat and Astrid Pernille Jespersen\u00a0from the University of Copenhagen,\u00a0Luna Dolezal, from the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[101,118,372],"class_list":["post-30369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health-care","tag-university-of-copenhagen","tag-university-of-exeter","tag-university-of-plymouth"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"In a recent study that delivers a wake-up call to the health care community, researchers have found that feelings of shame surrounding dental issues can prevent individuals from seeking necessary treatments, exacerbating oral health inequalities. The study, conducted by Louise Folker, Esben Boeskov \u00d8zhayat and Astrid Pernille Jespersen\u00a0from the University of Copenhagen,\u00a0Luna Dolezal, from the&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30369"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30369\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30505,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30369\/revisions\/30505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}