Background: Traumatic life experiences (TLE) are common and can affect a person's physical being and health-related behaviors, including those related to oral health. This scoping review aimed to identify evidence exploring the implementation and provision of trauma-informed care (TIC) in oral health services delivery.
Methods: Arksey and O'Malley's framework with enhancements proposed by Levac et al. and Peters et al. was used. Studies were selected based on a preset inclusion and exclusion criteria and the population/concept/context framework. Primary charting of descriptive data was conducted, followed by thematic analysis to identify ideas common within the included literature. Searches were conducted in Medline (via Ovid), APA PsycINFO (via Ovid), Embase (Elsevier), Scopus, CINAHL (via EBSCO), and Cochrane databases. Google Scholar and ProQuest were used to identify grey literature.
Results: The search identified 251 records, with fifteen records meeting the inclusion criteria. Limited models, frameworks, and recommendations for trauma-informed practices in oral health services were identified. Recommendations for TIC practices were identified, and clinical practice adjustments for dental practitioners were described to improve service delivery for patients who may have experienced trauma. Avenues for future research were identified.
Conclusions: Limited evidence exists to guide trauma-informed practice in oral health service delivery. This scoping review highlights the need for further research into approaches and practices of TIC for oral health services delivery to assess their efficacy and the need to develop evidence-based TIC frameworks to meet the unique needs of oral health service providers and populations.
Keywords: dentistry; oral health; practice models; trauma sensitive; trauma-informed care.