Abstract

TASCON, Jorge Eduardo  and  CABRERA, Gustavo Alonso. Some beliefs about caries susceptibility and severity in adolescent from the Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Colomb. Med. [online]. 2005, vol.36, n.3, pp.140-145. ISSN 1657-9534.

OBJECTIVE: To know existing beliefs about susceptibility and severity of dental caries in high school adolescents in the State of Valle del Cauca, Colombia. METHODS: The Health Belief Model was used as the theoretic and methodological basis for a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out in 38 out of 42 municipalities of the State of Valle of Cauca. A total of 5.400 adolescent students registered in public and private high schools aged of 10 and 20 were selected through a probabilistic, cluster, tri-stage, and stratified sample process. RESULTS: Overall, 51% of the participants believe that dental caries do not affect the mastication process; 52% think they cannot suffer caries again once their teeth have been filled, and 54% does not associate caries with digestion changes; 80% does not relate the use of braces and retainers with the disease; 92% believes dental caries can affect any person and 91% believe that caries might make them lose their teeth. CONCLUSIONS: Beliefs on the severity of caries are favorable in general and beliefs about susceptibility must be improved through preventive intervention strategies directed to this population group

Keywords : Public health; Beliefs; Caries; Susceptibility; Severity; Adolescents.

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