Illness perceptions amongst individuals with dental caries

Area of Science:

• Oral health
• Dental public health
• Health psychology

Background:

• Dental caries is a prevalent oral disease.
• Understanding patient perceptions of illness is crucial for effective disease management.
• Illness representations can influence patient coping behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess individuals' perceptions of dental caries.
• To explore the relationship between illness representations and coping with dental caries.
• To investigate the influence of socioeconomic status on dental caries perception.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional questionnaire study.
• 520 adult patients with dental caries from a general dentistry clinic.
• Illness Perception Questionnaire Revised (IPQ-R) used for assessment.

Main Results:

• Commonly reported symptoms include toothache and sensitivity.
• Illness perception dimensions were linked to socioeconomic status (SES).
• Specific symptoms were associated with low SES (e.g., loose teeth, pus) and higher SES (e.g., bleeding, pain with sweets).

Conclusions:

• Perceptions of dental caries are associated with socioeconomic status.
• Health literacy interventions can enhance early detection of dental caries.
• Improved understanding of oral health information can empower patients in managing dental caries.