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The holy month of Ramadan is a time of joy in the Muslim calendar. It is a time to test one’s faith and to give thanks for all the blessings in life; it’s a time for growth and development. Ramadan is also one of the five pillars of Islam together with belief, prayer, charity and pilgrimage. This period of fasting observed around the globe, however, carries implications for general health and oral care.

What your dentist knows about Islam

Unless he or she is Muslim, your dentist may not know about the intricacies involved in what is permissible during the holy month of Ramadan and what is not. Although many non-Muslim dentists try to learn these aspects in order to provide you the best treatment, there may still be issues that they may have trouble understanding or reconciling with in recommending or during treatment.

Permissible actions

The following actions do not invalidate your fast during the fasting period:

• Taking a bath or shower; swimming
• Using a toothbrush with or without toothpaste
• Rinsing the mouth with water.
• Eating and drinking unintentionally
• Using mouthwash
• Medications by injection; but there are differing opinions on this.
• Local anesthesia (with injections)
• Pulp-capping medications
• Swallowing water inadvertently during dental treatment
• Dental exams or putting a strange object in your mouth
• Dental treatments, including dental cleaning, restorations and tooth extraction

All of the above points are taken from the Malaysian Dental Association article on Tips for Dental Care During Fasting¹ and the British Dental Journal article, The management of the Muslim dental patient.²

It is one thing for us to write an article here referring you to scholarly documents. But, some of the more conservative Muslims among you may not feel comfortable doing certain things according to their dentist’s recommendations because of the doubt that it may result in invalidating the fast; especially if their dentist belongs to a faith other than Islam.

Visit the FreeDentistFinder.com article Muslims Need Special Oral Care During Holy Month of Ramadan to find out how to solve some of the common dilemmas that may likely occur during the fasting without harming your oral health.

If you want to find a dentist in your area whose practice is open during the non-fasting hours during the holy month of Ramadan, the easiest way is to search for a local dentist on the FreeDentistFinder.com national directory of dentists. Just visit the home page of FreeDentistFinder.com and search for a dentist with area zip code and by dental specialty.

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