Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 29, 2025

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
A postmodern perspective regarding older adults' oral health
Alexandre Favero Bulgarelli1, Fabiana Costa Machado Zacharias2, Soraya Fernandes Mestriner3
1Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. R. São Manoel 963/107, Rio Branco. 90620-110, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil. alexandre.bulgarelli@ufrgs.br.
Abstract:
This article aims to comprehend meaning assigned to oral health, by means of older adults discourses, supported by a Social Constructionist perspective. This is a qualitative study with a descriptive and comprehensive design based on the Social Constructionism theoretical support conducted by means of interviews with 19 older adults. Data were analysed by means of a Discourse Analysis with identification of Interpretative Repertoires, which structured the meanings proposed to oral health. It were created repertories to disclosure possible meanings assigned to the oral health by older people as: having a clean mouth; having good comprehensive/general health; having a beautiful smile and oral health well-being condition; and suffering in the past and accepting pain. The meaning assigned to oral health by older people, in a social constructionist perspective, allow us to comprehend the subjectivity behind oral health of older people, which can guide health professionals' approaches to deal with it.
Related Concept Videos
Teeth
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin...
Assessment of the Mouth
Mouth Inspection
The inspection begins with visually examining the mouth for symmetry, color, and size.
Oral Cavity
Teeth: The teeth are the hardest structures in our bodies. Humans have two sets of teeth throughout their lifetime: deciduous (baby) teeth and permanent teeth. Each tooth consists of several parts: the crown (visible part), the root (embedded in the jaw), enamel (hard outer...
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption
The Effect of Aging on Tissues

