Narratives about a stigma: attributing meaning to the early loss of deciduous teeth on children's caregivers.

Autor: Bitencourt FV; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS, School of Dentistry, Post-Graduate Program in Dentistry, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil., Rodrigues JA; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS, School of Dentistry, Department of Surgery and Orthopedics, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil., Toassi RFC; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS, School of Dentistry, Department of Preventive and Social Dentistry, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Brazilian oral research [Braz Oral Res] 2021 Apr 26; Vol. 35, pp. e044. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Apr 26 (Print Publication: 2021).
DOI: 10.1590/1807-3107bor-2021.vol35.0044
Abstrakt: Qualitative approach about the implications that occur succeeding the premature loss teeth is still insufficient. This study aimed to understand the experience of early loss of deciduous teeth in children's lives, from the perspective of their caregivers. Qualitative case study included 52 caregivers of children from an outpatient service of a public university in the south of Brazil. Early loss of deciduous teeth to trauma or caries was identified through analysis of health records, and afterwards, semi-structured interviews were performed. Textual material was interpreted through the content analysis proposed by Bardin, supported by the ATLAS.ti software. The theoretical perspective of stigma was guided according to the principles of the phenomenology of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, centred on the experience of early loss of deciduous teeth as a historic-cultural expression of a social group. According to caregivers, premature loss of deciduous teeth due to trauma or decay brings functional limitations with chewing and speaking, and impairments related to social interaction with other children. The repercussions of missing teeth were not limited to the child's image, but also brought changes in families' daily lives. However, when early tooth loss was due to extraction because of pain and suffering, caregivers perceived the loss as 'commonplace' in children's lives. The understanding of how children see themselves without teeth in their social world for their caregivers, which also includes their family and friends, determines how much experiencing tooth loss affects their lives. Besides, caregivers' perceptions related to early loss of deciduous teeth should be included in strategies of oral health promotion programs.
Databáze: MEDLINE