Percepções e experiências de pais e crianças sobre intervenções odontológicas: uma revisão sistemática de estudos qualitativos

Abstract

Dental research commonly adopts a positivist perspective and measures how important outcomes are to patients, or their parents/legal guardians, through quantifiable methods. Although the data generated by this method is extremely important for clinical practice, obtaining data through qualitative methods can be useful to access and understand how individuals perceive, manage, and make decisions related to their health, describing their values and preferences. The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences and perceptions of children who underwent dental interventions and of their parents or legal guardians who accompanied them, in different settings by a systematic review of qualitative studies. For this, a systematized search was conducted on MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus (Elsevier), Web of Science-All Databases (Clarivate Analytics), Embase (Ovid), PsyInfo (APA), and ProQuest (Dissertations and Theses Global) databases in October 2022. Two reviewers performed the selection of studies independently and in duplicate. Qualitative studies involving children or parents/legal guardians that assessed their experiences and perceptions during dental interventions were included. Methodological quality assessment of the included studies was performed with the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research. For data analysis, the meta-aggregative approach was employed. Of 2,195 studies retrieved for evaluation, 15 studies were included in the qualitative systematic review, with 11 studies with parents/legal guardians, three with parents/legal guardians and children, and one study with children only. Among the 14 studies with parents/legal guardians, 97 results classified as unquestionable and credible were aggregated into seven categories and grouped into three synthesized findings. And among the 4 studies with children, 13 unquestionable results were aggregated into three categories and synthesized into one synthesized finding. Based on the findings, parents/legal guardians and children have different perceptions regarding dental treatments. Their perspectives can be modulated by many factors, such as previous experiences, income, and access to health services.