The study evaluated social representation on oral health-illness process between 29 scholarship's mothers in rural areas from Itaúna, in 2002. Semi-structured interviews were transcripted and content analysis was developed. The results have showed that social representation of health-illness was associated with food intake and medical service utilization. Discourse on oral health-illness process was related to dental hygiene and diet rules. Dental caries were an inevitable experience, but tooth loss was not. Despite material conditions of life in rural area have not enabled favorable oral health practices, these mothers were considered responsible for their children oral health care. This contradicted life has caused negative feelings (as guilty) and, consequently, bad quality of life. Respondents have had information about oral home care and they desired to "take care of children well". However, a complex net of social, economic and cultural factors has not favored health promotion. Planning public oral health actions should take in account not only quantitative epidemiological data but social representation of oral health.
Qualitative research; Epidemiology; Social representation; Oral health