Muslims Need Special Oral Care During Holy Month of Ramadan

Online, August 8, 2012 (Newswire.com) - 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 is permissible. Most scholars also hold the opinion that swimming is allowed.

Using a toothbrush with or without toothpaste is permissible. So is rinsing the mouth with water.

Eating and drinking unintentionally does not invalidate your fast. However, you must stop the moment you remember you are fasting.
Using mouthwash is considered permissible. Take care to avoid swallowing; but involuntary swallowing is permissible.
Medications by injection do not invalidate your fast; but not everyone agrees on this.

Local anesthesia (with injections) is considered permissible. Unless you are in pain, you can also ask for a re-scheduling outside of fasting hours.

Pulp-capping medications are considered permissible.
Swallowing water inadvertently during dental treatment does not invalidate your fast. Try to avoid drinking it consciously.
Dental exams or putting a strange object in your mouth for the purpose of dental treatment does not invalidate your fast.
Dental treatments, including dental cleaning, restorations and tooth extraction are unlikely to invalidate your fast. Dental varnish applications of sustained release fluoride substances are permissible. But you may always ask for alternatives or get treatment outside fasting hours.

Most Muslims will consider taking oral medications non permissible during fasting hours. Of course, exceptions are made for emergencies, when a person's condition is growing worse, they are in a lot of pain or when a person is unable to continue fasting. When avoiding meds can be harmful to the health, that is also considered an exception.

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

Dental and oral care options in case of doubt

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.

So here are some common dilemmas and how to resolve them, at the same time safeguarding your oral health.

Brushing: If you strongly believe that brushing and flossing may invalidate your fast (it does not), you may still brush and floss before going to sleep at night or after your pre-dawn meal. Brushing twice a day is good enough to keep your mouth and teeth healthy and clean.

Dental Treatments: If you feel dental treatments are not permissible during fasting, you can always ask for re-scheduling of dental appointments to fall outside the fasting hours. Most dentists would be happy to oblige. Your dentist can also recommend alternatives to certain treatments such as dental varnish applications,

Medications for dental health issues: If you believe taking medications during the fasting period will invalidate your fast, talk to your dentist and ask for a change of medication or change of dosage that may enable you to take the meds when fasting hours are over. Do not take all your daily meds in one go. This can be very bad for your health and often dangerous.

Medications for other health problems: You should talk to your doctor about prescription medications and doses and see whether it is possible for the doctor to prescribe you with different med and dosages. This may not always be possible.

Remember, if you have systemic diseases, it can be dangerous to skip your medications during fasting. It is for a very good reason that the very young, the elderly, the sick and the insane are exempt from fasting.

If your condition is of a serious nature that skipping meds may endanger your health, or if you are on antibiotics which need to be taken as specified, every so many hours, skipping is a very bad idea.

Most dentists, either Muslim or non-Muslim will go along with these compromises and accommodate your religious misgivings.
If you want to find 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 go to the home page of FreeDentistFinder.com and search for a dentist with area zip code and by dental specialty.

Visit FreeDentistFinder.com article archive to find a vast trove of information on dental care, dental problems and their treatment options.