Deciduous Tooth Extraction & Folkloric Beliefs in the Samsun Region

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the methods of deciduous tooth extraction applied to children, and the effects of parents' educational status and place of residence on the way deciduous teeth are regarded in folklore in Samsun city and neighboring villages. Using questionnaires, this study tried to determine the type of superstitions held by parents living in the city and neighboring village. The questionnaire inquired about methods used to extract their deciduous teeth, what parents had done with them, and their preferred extraction methods. A significant relationship was established between the age at which the parent first visited the dentist and the method used to extract their child's deciduous teeth. Folk beliefs are not related to place, namely urban or rural living, but are concepts handed down through tradition; the educational status of parent is likewise irrelevant to the holding of folk beliefs among parents in this sample.