The role of psychological theories in oral health interventions: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective In the present study, we attempted to assess how psychological theories (health belief model [HBM], theory of planned behaviour [TPB], social cognitive theory [SCT], clinical theories [CT] and other theories [OT]) influence oral health interventions. Methods PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane and Web of Knowledge databases from 2000 to 2017 were searched. We defined psychological theories based on five subgroups: (A) HBM, (B) TPB, (C) SCT, (E) CT and (F) OT. Results From the 156 identified studies, 19 studies based on PICO were included. Our findings indicated that the standardized mean difference (SMD) of HBM was 0.37 (95% CI: 0.24, 0.51), which was statistically significant in improving oral health. The SMD of SCT was not significant (0.05 [95% CI: -0.33, 0.44]) in improving oral health. The SMD of TPB was significant (1.66 [95% CI: 1.06, 2.27]) in improving oral health. The SMD of CT (-4.6 [95% CI: -6.49, -2.71]) and OT (2.93 [95% CI: 1.55, 4.32]) revealed significant differences in improving oral health. Conclusion The current meta-analysis showed that in general, psychological interventions that used OT, CT, HBM and TPB were effective in enhancing oral health status, and interventions that used SCT did not have an effect on improving oral health status. Oral health care providers who work with patients to take methods and improve behaviours that are related to appropriate oral health need to comprehend their applicability and strengths.