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International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management

A Peer-Reviewed, Open-Access International Journal Supporting Multidisciplinary Research, Digital Publishing Standards, DOI Registration, and Academic Indexing.
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ISSN: 3108-1754 (Online)
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ISO Certification: 9001:2015
Publication Fee: 599/- INR
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License: CC BY 4.0
Peer Review: Double Blind
Volume 02, Issue 03

Published on: March 2026 2026

THE MOUTH AS TEXT: PAIN, SILENCE, AND CLINICAL POWER IN DENTAL EXPERIENCE

Nanduri Radhika

N. R. Gopal

Department of OFMS HIDS Paonta Sahib

Article Status

Plagiarism Passed Peer Reviewed Open Access

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Abstract

This paper explores the mouth cavity as an anatomical site that is a symbolic, cultural, and phenomenological site, which is central to speech production, identity formation, and social presence. This paper says that dentistry forms a distinct paradox in the clinical context: the organ where patients express their experiences turns into a place of silence, examination, and treatment at the same time. Based on the idea of medical gaze developed by Michel Foucault, phenomenological theory of embodiment, and the literature of narrative medicine, the paper critically examines the dental appointment as the space that is organized around unequal power dynamics, corporeal susceptibility, anticipatory anxiety, and a temporary loss of verbal agency (Charon, 2006; Foucault, 2003; Merleau-Ponty, 2002). Unlike most of the clinical settings, dentistry literally gets into the mouth of the patient, thus turning the mouth, as a tool of expression, into a tool of action. This change transforms the experience of self, pain, and communication of the patient. The paper also submits that dental pain cannot be perceived solely as a physiological phenomenon; it is also mediated by memory, language, cultural discourses, and a prior experience of fear (Charon, 2006; Frank, 2013). Combining the humanities with dentistry, the study will introduce a medical humanities model of dental practice, which will restore the central focus on patient voice, dignity, and communicative care. This could make the way of ethical sensitivity in dental practice more profound and enlarge the intellectual perspective of dental education.

How to Cite this Paper

Radhika, N. (2026). The Mouth as Text: Pain, Silence, and Clinical Power in Dental Experience. International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management, <i>02</i>(03). https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i3.137

Radhika, Nanduri. "The Mouth as Text: Pain, Silence, and Clinical Power in Dental Experience." International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management, vol. 02, no. 03, 2026, pp. . doi:https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i3.137.

Radhika, Nanduri. "The Mouth as Text: Pain, Silence, and Clinical Power in Dental Experience." International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management 02, no. 03 (2026). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i3.137.

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References


  1. Charon, R. (2006). Narrative medicine: Honoring the stories of illness. Oxford University Press.

  2. Foucault, M. (2003). The birth of the clinic: An archaeology of medical perception (A. M. Sheridan Smith, Trans.). Vintage Books.

  3. Frank, A. W. (2013). The wounded storyteller: Body, illness, and ethics (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press.

  4. Kristeva, J. (1982). Powers of horror: An essay on abjection (L. S. Roudiez, Trans.). Columbia University Press.

  5. Merleau-Ponty, M. (2002). Phenomenology of perception (C. Smith, Trans.). Routledge.

  6. Sontag, S. (2001). Illness as metaphor and AIDS and its metaphors. Picador.

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  • All submissions are screened under plagiarism detection.
  • Review follows editorial policy.
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  • Peer Review Type: Double-Blind Peer Review
  • Published on: Mar 26 2026
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