Hinduism and Prosthodontic Treatment: A Review and a Clinical Report of a Hindu Menopausal Woman

Abstract

Hinduism is one of the world’s most populous religions. A matter in everyday dentistry is the use of products and materials that could limit dental treatment options because of religion. Menopause is a specific and critical period in a woman’s life when dental restorations or other dental procedures are needed. Some menopausal women face difficulty when performing dental care due to restrictions concerning their religion or vomiting symptoms. Religion and a hypersensitive vomit reaction in menopause may prevent the dental provider from choosing extended or complicated dental, mainly prosthodontic, treatment plans including bone grafts and dental implants, and consequently, these parameters can affect menopausal women’s quality of life. The purpose of this article is to review the current literature and to report a case of a 60-year-old Hindu menopausal woman, partially edentulous with an exaggerated vomiting reaction, focusing on successful clinical management using a simple but effective table salt technique for the gag reflex and proper fixed and removable prostheses design, as also to discuss how Hinduism affects the dental treatment plan, especially prosthodontic, because some products and their consistency used in dental implants and prosthodontics, are usually not acceptable due to this religion, affecting also menopausal womens’ quality of life. Because of the shift of population globally, the scientific community faces patients of different religions, faiths, traditions, and beliefs, and has to adjust socially to new conditions.