What are the psychosocial factors involved in motivating individuals to retain their teeth? Dreams and facts.

The mother-child relationship, the family milieu and the scholastic environment all play a part in determining the ability of an individual to accept oral care. The acceptance of such care needs to be prompted by arguments based on the principal functions of the teeth: chewing and digestion; elocution and communication; and aesthetics--especially the smile displaying harmonious teeth which is synonymous with beauty, youth and happiness. Avoidance or rejection of dental care are direct consequences of fear; fear of pain and primordial fears linked to infant anxieties and the castration complex. Refusal or neglect to practise oral hygiene may represent aggression and rebellion against the established order. Harmful eating habits, notably the symbolic seductiveness of sugar, and parafunctional behaviour, which contains auto-aggressive or masochistic components, all contribute to the irrational relationships people have with their teeth. Attitudes totally opposed to the aims of prevention readily develop in response to some media messages. If prevention is forced guilt feelings are reinforced and conflict ensues. To overcome this, dentists should establish methods of prevention which do not depend only upon individual participation.