title: [Dental mutilation: rural workers' concepts of responsibility for tooth loss].
abstract: Brazilian oral hygiene institutions have promoted tooth extraction as a dental health practice. This article investigates the issue of dental loss within a rural drought area in the State of Bahia. Based on verbal information provided by local inhabitants, the author investigates dental extraction as perceived by the community, i.e., as a commonplace fact. The main goal is to analyze both representations of the oral cavity based on individual experiences and their associations with oral care practices, derived from the social reality in which they are immersed. The author considers the issues of both individual responsibility and that of government agencies and dentists.
authors.affiliation: Loteamento Recreio de Ipitanga, Quadra 24, Lote 11-A, Brasil. teresacristinam@hotmail.com
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Mendonça
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000209:etiology; D019239:Practice Patterns, Dentists'; D012424:Rural Population; D012924:Social Conditions; D014081:Tooth Extraction / Q000523:psychology*; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000523:psychology*
vernacular_title: Mutilação dentária: concepções de trabalhadores rurais sobre a responsabilidade pela perda dentária.