Dental decay in the change of deciduous teeth: the child’s self-perception

Background: Currently in Portugal, the percentage of children aged five to twelve who have already been to an oral health appointment is 57.6%. The prevalence of dental caries has declined over recent years, with the expectation that by 2020, 59% of Portuguese children will be caries-free. Objective: The present study aimed to understand how children from this age group experience the mental representation of dental decay and its implications on the self-perception inherent to the loss of deciduous teeth. Method: The sample consisted in 50 children of both genders, aged 5 - 12 years. A protocol was originally conceived where they were invited to draw two self-portraits - before and after the loss of deciduous teeth - and to answer open-ended questions with regards to such. The interpretation of the drawings and the open-ended questions were carried out through content analysis grids designed for such. Results: Regarding the written answers to the open-ended question “Why do you think teeth fall out?”, caries do not appear to be associated with the loss of deciduous teeth but rather “Bug” and “Bacteria”, identified as the most representative categories (27.9% and 18,9% respectively), which is in agreement with the symbolic representation depicted in drawings. Conclusions: The results obtained contribute to the (re)conceptualization of caries in this age group of children, which is also associated to the loss of deciduous teeth. The results also point to the need for developing educational tools for Oral health Education, in order to prevent caries in deciduous teeth and to foster good oral hygiene habits.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

X-ray vision: the mental genealogy of the anatomy of the interior of the human body

Background: The concepts of the Young Person and of an Elderly Person go through an evolutionary diversification during the Human lifecycle and are permeable to diverse biopsychosocial factors involved in the definition of the lifecycle stages. Therefore, assessing this subjectivity in different stages of development and population fringes may be a determinant key factor to assist the implementation of successful disease prevention and health promotion strategies. Aim: The aim of the present study was to discern how Fine Arts’ college students of the Anatomy class mentally represent the inner morphology of the human body of the Young Person and of an Elderly Person. Method: For such, 126 students were asked to draw the interior of the body of a Young Person and of an Elderly Person. In all, 252 drawings were collected and analysed, based on a coding data grid designed for this purpose. Hence, a comparative analysis of these two different vital lifecycle phases was achieved. Results: The results suggest anatomical differences in the pictorial representation of the Young Person and of the Elderly Person, namely in the accentuation of the curvatures of the vertebral column, retrusion of the lower jaw and muscle flaccidity. Conclusions: Although the body schema was the same for all individuals, the body image was singularly depicted and linked to each individual’s history, representing a synthesis of his idiosyncratic perceptions, experiences and particularities.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O espreitar do morrer : a pintura do pensamento da morte

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The house of the little tooth Diniz : an oral health educational project

Dental caries is currently one of the major public health problems, given its high incidence among 6-12-year-old children. This age group of children is considered a priority group, due to the transitional period of the replacement of deciduous teeth. This article intends to present a ludic-pedagogical instrument for oral health education, targeted at these children, based on the learning of problems related to oral health through a story narrative and associated pictograms. By means of a health education manual with several pictorial representations of dentistry clinical acts, we intended to imagetically reinforce the therapeutic adherence of children to Paediatric Dentistry as well as oral health prevention care, which are considered determinant factors for oral health success amongst children. The choice of a handbook format for this purpose was considered a health education pedagogical strategy with added value to the Paediatric Dentistry appointment setting, granting patients an active and leading role in their therapeutic path. The handbook can also be of use to younger children, through parental storytelling, establishing a dyadic communication between parents, educators and professionals.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

When the silence speaks : the smile

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No consultório do odontopediatra : um manual de educação para a saúde oral

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The language of silence in the therapeutic setting of dental medicine

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio