Exploring a Meta-theory of the Psychosocial Effects of Tooth Loss

Objectives: To identify from personal interviews the relevance of a meta-theory from five biopsychosocial theories (communications; developmental regulation; emotion; resource; and social cognition) to the beliefs, concerns and behaviours of people before and after complete tooth loss.
Methods: Interviews with 18 participants before and after dental extractions were analyzed inductively using interpretive description to explain how they managed tooth loss within the context of one or more of the five theories.
Results: Constructs from five theories explained the beliefs, concerns and behaviours of the participants. Before tooth loss, they engaged in adaptive behaviours according to developmental regulation theory; assessed their adaptive and coping strategies according to emotion, social cognitive and resource theories; and sought professional help to communicate their concerns according to communication theory. They also avoided smiling and social engagements to avoid embarrassment due to low self-confidence as explained by social cognition theory, and compared themselves with others according to emotion theory.
Conclusions: Constructs from a meta-theory based on theories of communications, developmental regulation, emotion, resource and social cognitive theories can explain the responses of people coping with tooth loss and dentures.