Educational interventions in oral health in the school setting

Abstract

Objective: To identify and synthesize school-based oral health promotion and prevention interventions and their reported behavioral and clinical outcomes. Methods: A qualitative-descriptive integrative review was conducted using the PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases, covering studies published between 2020 and 2026. Study selection and data extraction were independently performed by two reviewers, with disagreements resolved by a third reviewer. The final sample consisted of seven studies, which were critically appraised using tools appropriate to their respective study designs, including RoB 2 for the cluster randomized clinical trial, JBI critical appraisal checklists for the quasi-experimental and cross-sectional studies, and a critical appraisal according to the descriptive nature of the experience reports. Results: Active and playful educational strategies, including gamification, theatrical activities, macromodels, and comic books, favored greater engagement, participation, and knowledge acquisition among schoolchildren. Six studies reported educational and behavioral outcomes, whereas two presented clinical findings; however, only one study longitudinally assessed changes in a clinical indicator. Conclusions: The available evidence suggests that the school setting represents a promising environment for oral health promotion and prevention initiatives, with the potential to enhance engagement, increase knowledge, and encourage self-care practices. Clinical findings should be interpreted cautiously because of the limited number of studies with objective clinical measurements and the predominance of designs without longitudinal follow-up.