Cultural Competency in Dental Practice: Navigating the Experiences and Perspectives of Dentists in South Punjab, Pakistan.

Introduction Cultural competence in healthcare embraces the principles of equal access and nondiscriminatory services in healthcare delivery. Dentists as significant healthcare professionals should definitely have the skills needed to diagnose and treat patients' conditions, but it is crucial to also address nontechnical skills such as cross-cultural communication, the ability to empathize, and inclusive-mindedness. Globally, cultural competency training has been included in healthcare educational programs; however, national practices reportedly have revolved around patients' clinical competencies and thus entailed overlooking the cultural dimensions of dental education that include diverse sociocultural factors that influence how dental practices are taught, learned, and delivered.