Perception of oral health in women with extensive dental losses

This writing aims to analyze the perception of women with extensive dental losses under the gaze of buccality. The survey was conducted with women with extensive tooth loss in a small town in the state of Santa Catarina. The semi-structured interview produced narratives were recorded and transcribed. After collecting the data, we carried out the analysis of the information found in order to interpret the data obtained during the investigation. Organized and systematized data resulted in six thematic categories: socioeconomic condition, social representation of dental prosthesis, odontological practice, suffering and pain, consequences and limitations, gender. Some perceptions are well marked in the studied group, such as extracting teeth to put dental prosthesis was considered a cause for joy for some interviewees; the prostheses were coveted because they provide beautiful teeth. Another important finding refers to the extraction of healthy teeth, only for women, in preparation for marriage. The study highlights the need for deepening the understanding of the events that occur in the mouth, either in oral care or in daily practices in order to improve the understanding of this space and, gather elements to think and produce another clinic that includes the subjects with their differences and cultural diversity.