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Hattme K, Folke S et al. Acta Odont Scand 2007; 65: 206–213

Attitudes are based on cognition and emotion, and are believed to influence behaviour. This study was an exploration of attitudes in 15-19-year-olds at high risk of caries; 45 attending a Swedish public health clinic were invited to participate, and 16 did so. Interviews contained 10 open-ended questions, leading to further expansion and clarification. A qualitative content analysis was then used to process the responses.

Subjects who accepted the invitation appeared to be those who were interested in oral health, and knowledge was generally consistent. They knew about such things as the effects of diet and oral hygiene (fluoride toothpastes and rinses) on caries, but appeared to have difficulty in following their knowledge by suitable action. Emotional factors in attitudes appeared often to be negative, such as feelings of inadequacy, and frustration that efforts to prevent disease did not reap their due reward. It seemed that some subjects relied on the dentist to provide continued supervision of their oral health.