Dentistry in a multicultural society: the impact of animal-based products on person-centred care

Cultural competence of healthcare professionals requires a combination of awareness, knowledge and skills to provide healthcare services to culturally and lingually diverse populations. The aim of this paper is to raise awareness regarding animal-based constituents in dental products which may not be acceptable to patients from different cultural, spiritual, or religious backgrounds. Animal-based products are used widely in medicine and dentistry. However, patients and sometimes even dental professionals may not be aware of this. This paper identifies some common products used in clinical dentistry which are derived from animal-based sources and discusses the implications of their use in a multicultural society.