Evidence in Orthodontics related to qualitative research

INTRODUCTION: Research in Orthodontics has historically followed the positivist model based on the direct relationship of cause and effect between diseases and their specific etiological factors. Despite the objectivity and the great potential of statistical procedures, quantitative methods have progressively been sharing space with other models that can encompass the multiplicity of factors that affect the health-disease process, which until such time was reduced to its biological dimension. OBJECTIVES: This study aims, through an integrative review, to identify orthodontics articles published over a 10-year period that have used, exclusively or not, some method of qualitative research, and analyze the main aspects of their content. METHODS: A survey was performed on Pubmed, Medline, Scopus, and Lilacs databases from 2007 to 2016 with a focus on the applicability of the qualitative methodology in orthodontic research. RESULTS: The 27 articles selected showed a trend to increase in publications, with the most recent four years concentrating almost 60% of them. Most studies were from Europe, particularly the UK, and the more frequent study objectives were related to the perception of people about the reasons for orthodontic treatment, about the aesthetic and psychosocial impact of malocclusion or orthodontic treatment, and the implications of these factors for their quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Because of its potential to explore behaviours and socio-cultural attitudes sustained in subjectivity, qualitative research offers new possibilities for orthodontic studies and can be used in an exclusive or complementary way in relation to quantitative methods.