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Chapter 12 - Promoting Oral Health: Influences of Hadith and Sunnah

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2025

By
Janine Owens  and
Sawsan Mustafa AbdallaSuliman
Edited by
Basil H. Aboul-Enein ,
G. Hussein Rassool ,
Nada Benajiba ,
Joshua Bernstein  and
MoezAlIslam E. Faris
Basil H. Aboul-Enein
Affiliation:
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
G. Hussein Rassool
Affiliation:
Charles Sturt University
Nada Benajiba
Affiliation:
Ibn Tofail University
Joshua Bernstein
Affiliation:
A. T. Still University of Health Sciences
MoezAlIslam E. Faris
Affiliation:
Applied Science Private University
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Summary

In many developed or high-income countries, significant oral health inequalities exist in disadvantaged communities, including refugee and migrant populations. In low- and middle-income countries, inequalities are even higher. Residing within these countries are Muslim populations who frequently base their oral health practices on the guidance within the prophetic Hadith and Sunnah. Public dental health needs to acknowledge that alternative oral hygiene aids and practices play a significant role for some Muslims, particularly those from low and middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Incorporating guidance from the Prophetic guidance may assist in reducing oral health inequalities while simultaneously addressing the implications of cultural diversity on national oral health promotion messages.

Keywords

Oral healthIslampublic health
Type
Chapter
Information
Contemporary Islamic Perspectives in Public Health , pp. 73 - 79
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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