IMPACT OF ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS ON TOOTH LOSS
Discussion
It is important to note that our findings address
those individuals who have made an effort to
obtain dental services at the University of the
Pacific Dental School Main Clinic and do not
address the experiences of persons who are not
currently seeking dental care. Our hypothesis
is that patients who are partially or completely
edentulous would differ qualitatively in attitudes
and/ or behaviors from patients with most of
their teeth. That these two groups would differ
attitudinally regarding the value of their teeth
was not supported. Both groups categorized
their teeth as “essential to me.”
Participants born outside the United States
were slightly more likely to call their teeth