Significado da permanência de dentes para idosos usuários do SUS

Abstract

The permanence of teeth throughout life are important for oral health, influencing general health, especially among the elderly. The aim of the present study was to comprehend the meaning of the permanence of natural and functional teeth in elderly users of the Unified Health System, identifying oral health care and experiences with dental professionals throughout their lives. This is a qualitative study whose data collection involved individual semi-structured interviews. The interviewees belonged to a Family Health Strategy in the city of Porto Alegre, were over 60 years old and had at least 20 natural and functional teeth. The study is approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Minas Gerais and all participants signed the Free and Informed Consent Form. Comprehensive reading of the collected material and content analysis according to the authors Graneheim and Lundman was carried out based on Vygotsky's theoretical framework and with the support of the software ATLAS.ti. The interviews had an average time of 54.6 minutes. Three themes and categories were observed: 1. Oral health care (taking care of teeth, reasons for care and guidelines received); 2. Dental care (the role of the dentist, oral problems and access to and use of dental services); 3. The meaning of teeth (the permanence and loss of teeth). The importance of teeth was related to smiling, chewing, with the possibility of a varied diet and without pain or discomfort, social relationships and communication. Having teeth was also related to general health and being healthy and “clean”. Although they consider that each person is responsible for the care, at times they shared this responsibility with the dentists. Happiness, feeling of pride and well-being were the feelings involved with the permanence of the teeth. The possibility of tooth loss or use of dental prostheses were situations that caused fear. The permanence of teeth for the elderly meant being complete and recognizing themselves as a person, involving individual and complex histories of oral health care. The importance of understanding the meaning of the permanence of natural dentition for elderly users of SUS, is given by the possibility of understanding the factors, feelings and care that determine oral health in the elderly, seeking to elevate them in health care