Changes perceived by users of the City Women's project, after oral rehabilitation

Abstract

In El Salvador, oral diseases are a public health problem, since they are suffered by a large percentage of the population who do not receive early treatment, which is why they suffer from various alterations in the stomatognathic system. Dental caries affects all age groups; but, to a greater extent, to vulnerable populations, who do not have access to specialized dental treatments due to their costs, so the majority of patients spend their lives edentulous, which leads to another series of ailments. This research was carried out with women beneficiaries of the Ciudad Mujer government program, who spent many years edentulous due to different factors, although they later received oral rehabilitation. The qualitative approach and phenomenological design of the research allowed capturing the changes that took place in the participants, having recovered the dental pieces. The sample consisted of ten women of rural origin. The research technique used was the interview in which the information was recorded, transcribed, coded and categorized. The results show that patients in rural areas face serious difficulties in obtaining dental treatment. All of them lost their teeth due to caries. Another finding was that, being oral rehabilitated, the feeling of invalidity or mutilation they experienced disappeared, now they feel complete and happy. In addition, as chewing function, articulation of words and aesthetic appearance were restored, the women recovered their self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, as well as oral health.