Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS, School of Dentistry, Post-Graduate Program in Dentistry, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS, School of Dentistry, Department of Surgery and Orthopedics, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Braz Oral Res. 2021 Apr 26;35:e044. doi: 10.1590/1807-3107bor-2021.vol35.0044. eCollection 2021.
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.
定性研究方法对于理解儿童乳牙早失所产生的影响仍然不足。本研究旨在从照顾者的角度了解儿童生活中乳牙早失的经历。采用定性案例研究方法，纳入了巴西南部一所公立大学门诊服务的 52 名儿童照顾者。通过分析健康记录来确定儿童因外伤或龋齿导致的乳牙早失，随后进行半结构化访谈。通过 Bardin 提出的内容分析法对文本材料进行解释，该方法得到了 ATLAS.ti 软件的支持。根据 Maurice Merleau-Ponty 的现象学原则，研究受到污名理论的指导，将乳牙早失视为社会群体的历史文化表达。根据照顾者的说法，由于外伤或龋齿导致的乳牙早失会带来咀嚼和说话的功能限制，以及与其他儿童社交互动方面的障碍。缺牙的影响不仅限于孩子的形象，还会改变家庭的日常生活。然而，当由于疼痛和不适而拔牙导致牙齿缺失时，照顾者认为这在孩子的生活中是“常见”的。照顾者对孩子在社交世界中没有牙齿的看法，这也包括他们的家人和朋友，决定了牙齿缺失对他们生活的影响程度。此外，应将照顾者对乳牙早失的看法纳入口腔健康促进计划的策略中。
