In Bali, the Metatah (tooth filing) ceremony is a Hindu ritual, where children who have reached puberty have their six upper anterior teeth filed down and smoothed to purge the six human natures considered destructive: desire, greed, anger, intoxication, confusion and jealousy.
In Australia, traditional Aboriginal society male initiation rites into adulthood are designed to test courage and may include tooth evulsion.
20 September has been designated 'Love Teeth Day' in China since 1989, promoting oral health education and good oral healthcare.
Boys in the Matausas tribe in Papua New Guinea follow a rite of passage ritual to cleanse them of female influences before manhood, which involves stabbing the tongue repeatedly, inserting reeds into the nasal cavity and positioning two long wooden canes down the throat until they are sick.
In Vietnam, Ohaguro, a custom of dyeing one's teeth black, is a dying tradition but was once practised by nearly all ethnic groups.
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Around the world. Br Dent J 216, 445 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2014.321
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2014.321
