Tooth Fairy Mith: children's self-perception of the loss of Deciduous teeth

Abstract

We intend to understand how children intrapsychically experience, the process of losing their Deciduous Dentition and the self-perception of the face; 115 children of both genders, aged between 5-12 y, were interviewed and – Empirical Protocols – were designed, in which the child was invited to draw their self-portrait in two different moments – Before (M1) and After (M2) the experience of losing their Deciduous teeth answer a set of open questions as well as a demographic questionnaire. The interpretative analysis of the pictorial narrative of the drawings (n=330) and the open-ended questions was carried out using two content analysis grids, created specifically for this research.  The results suggest the existence of analytical differences between the self-perception of the face, Before (M1) and After (M2) the loss of Deciduous Teeth. The analysis of the pictorial content of the drawings also reveals some notable differences, in terms of the pictorial investment demonstrated in the two drawings, created by each child. The results also suggest the existence of an adjusted mourning process when each of the primary tooth is lost. The results of the present study allow us to recognize some differences in terms of self-perception of the image of the face, before and after the loss of deciduous teeth, which points to the identification of possible clues that could help us to understand, how the loss of deciduous teeth can be experienced by the child as a process of mourning, also highlighting the role of the dentist as a health educator.