Food diet and representations of dental caries published in a traditional brazilian newspaper

ABSTRACT Objective: To apprehend the representations of dental caries present in a Brazilian print media, considering different historical periods, with emphasis on the dietary factor in the issue of etiology and disease prevention. Methods: This is a descriptive documentary research study carried out from the analysis of digitalized printed editions of Jornal do Brasil, published between 1891 and 1990, available for consultation on the electronic portal of the collection of periodicals entitled Brazilian Digital Library. For the search, the terminologies ‘cárie dentária’ and ‘cárie dental’ (both meaning dental caries) were used. The platform displays editions from pre-determined time periods. The displays were considered for all journalistic genres, composing or not the main or prominent theme. The data found were analyzed qualitatively. Results: In total, 675 occurrences were registered with the term ‘cárie dentária’ and 33 with the term ‘cárie dental’. The representations of dental caries had multiple and complex variations. The object reconstruction process generated the categories: prevention, public policy and etiology. The topic of food diet significantly crossed the entire time span studied and remained frequently linked to tooth decay, sometimes related to the etiology, sometimes to the prevention of the disease. Conclusion: Jornal do Brasil reflected old knowledge in the field of dentistry, added new scientific knowledge and popularized it for the readership of the written press.