Table 3 Patients’ experience of dental care in practices without a structured approach to prevention

Historical dimension: refers to patients’ dental history, their dental caries experience and fluoride exposure overtime.

Growing up without Fluoride

“I had gone in and I had a lot of holes because I grew up on a farm with no fluoride.”

Having a family history of not having good teeth

“My mother did not have good teeth and I do not have good teeth. My father has no teeth. He has these bloody ugly, awful bloody false teeth that do not fit him properly. He has had teeth problems all his life, so have I.”

Biological dimension: refers to patients’ experience of dental caries’ clinical signs and symptoms

Having toothache and bleeding gums

“I had pain and bleeding and when I flossed I used to bleed a lot.”

Being someone with poor teeth and losing teeth

“In the past, I got cavities and then got major problems and lost teeth.”

Financial dimension: refers to the financial burden of dental caries

Forking money out

"I have been forking money out; because when you are in pain you will pay anything to get the pain to go away.”

Not being able to afford restorative treatment

“I could not afford to go and have my teeth fixed.”

Psychosocial dimension: refers to the psychological and social aspects of patients’ oral health, including patients’ emotional suffering due to dental caries

Wanting to keep my teeth

“I would like to keep my own teeth and not have false teeth.”

Being frustrated

“It is just disappointing that at certain times I just keep cracking the teeth…”

Habitual dimension: refers to customary activities related to or consequences of dental caries

Being accustomed to have repeated fillings

“You keep getting more and more fillings in the one tooth.”

Being ‘lazy’(oral hygiene)

“My worst habit is probably not cleaning my teeth regularly before I go to bed, well; I reckon I am a bit lazy.”