Introducing the Spiritual Dentition Transition theory as an integrative anthropological and developmental perspective on exfoliated primary teeth

This study examines the exfoliation of a child’s first primary tooth as a developmentally significant and spiritually meaningful rite of passage, integrating perspectives from developmental psychology, anthropology, childhood spirituality, and pediatric research. Addressing the question of how this event can be understood as a multidimensional developmental transition, the article proposes the Spiritual Dentition Transition framework. This model conceptualizes first tooth exfoliation as an integrative threshold in which biological change, cognitive maturation, emotional experience, and culturally mediated meaning-making converge in the child’s emerging sense of self, even when these domains do not progress synchronously. The findings suggest that first tooth exfoliation constitutes a micro-ritualized developmental event through which children begin to reorganize their identity around themes of growth, loss, and renewal. By framing this milestone within an integrative model, the article contributes to a deeper understanding of childhood spirituality as a process embedded in everyday developmental experiences.