Salutogenesis in oral health research in preschool children: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Oral health research in children has focused both on identifying the risk factors for dental caries and on the impact the disease has on children's life. AIM: Identifying studies that used the salutogenic theory to investigate positive aspects to promote a healthy condition in preschool children. DESIGN: A literature scoping review was conducted to answer the question: 'What has been produced in scientific literature about children's oral health with a salutogenic theoretical reference?' The checklist preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) was applied. The research was conducted on the databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science with no language, design, country or date restrictions. Three independent reviewers selected the studies to be included in the research, extracted data, and assessed the studies' contribution to the review. RESULTS: Among the 38 studies retained, 10 were included, those were published between 2009 and 2018: five in Brazil, two in the United States of America, and one in Canada, China and India, respectively. All articles were published in English language. Nine studies investigated the relation between the parents'/caretakers' sense of coherence and aspects related to the children's oral health condition. One study investigated health factors among the parents of caries-free children. CONCLUSION: Salutogenic orientation must be included in oral health research, so that salutary and risk factors may coexist, contributing to a new perspective for oral health promotion among children.