Buccality as a Decolonial Alternative: an Integrative Review and Critical-Reflective Analysis

Abstract

Brazil contests the hegemony of the biomedical model resulting from the historical colonization by Europe to the support of North American foundations, by creating its Brazilian Nacional Health System. The concept of “buccality” proposes a broader perspective beyond this model, highlighting the need for alternatives that respect universality, comprehensiveness, and equity. This study aimed to analyze buccality by an integrative review and reflection on its decolonial epistemological potential, including eight studies in its final sample. As an epistemological alternative, buccality values the mouth as a territory of experiences, opposing objectification. In line with criticisms of the Eurocentric bias of modernity but engaging with European theories, approaches a border epistemology. This review found that buccality may integrate subjectivity and enable future research focused on the interests of Brazilian and Latin American oral health.