Breaking the silence: How dental shame undermines oral health and equity

COPENHAGEN, Denmark: A new interdisciplinary commentary by researchers in Denmark calls for dentistry to confront one of its most powerful but overlooked barriers to care: shame. Researchers argue that “dental shame”—the feeling of humiliation or self-consciousness linked to oral health—can shape behaviour, deepen inequalities and prevent people from seeking the very care they need to recover confidence and well-being.