Abstract
Objective: To evaluate whether recreational activities in oral health carried out with schoolchildren contribute to changing habits in relation to oral hygiene. Methods: Systematic literature review by consulting: Virtual Health Library (VHL), Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (Lilacs) and Online Scientific Electronic Library (Scielo), using the keywords: oral hygiene, oral health, oral health education, dental plaque, school children, games, toys, recreation, educational games and children's games. Experimental studies with school-age children (5 to 12 years) were considered eligible. Results: 186 eligible studies were selected, retrieved by the search in a paired and independent manner by two researchers, 57 duplicates were removed and after the application of the eligibility criteria in reading the titles and abstracts, there were disagreements between the two researchers, which were resolved by a third party. evaluator, remaining 4 studies. Playful educational interventions promoted changes in oral hygiene indicators (visible plaque index and gingival bleeding index), which suggests improvements in behaviors related to oral health. Final considerations: The promotion of oral health in schoolchildren imposes challenges and different playful educational interventions may be able to promote favorable behavioral changes related to oral health.