Background:

Oral feeding is a highly complex and coordinated sensorimotor activity for the preterm infants, requiring nurses to implement neuroprotective care. In nursing care, there is no consensus on the choice of the most appropriate oral feeding method for the development of oro-motor skills and the consequent feeding autonomy of the preterm infant.

Objective:

identify and map, in the scientific literature, the oral feeding method that promotes the development of oro-motor skills in preterm in preterm infants.

Method:

A scoping review was carried out with a research that allowed the mapping of articles published in databases (Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Scielo) and unpublished (Google scholar, master's and doctoral theses), between 2000 and 2018.

Results:

This scoping review included 28 studies: 21 are primary studies, 6 secondary studies and a doctoral thesis. Three feeding methods emerged (bottle, cup and finger-feeding). The bottle appears as a promoter of more mature suction patterns; the cup is the must studied method but little consensual regarding the benefits for oro-motor development and finger-feeding appears as a facilitator of suction training and breastfeeding.

Conclusion:

The publications focus mainly on aspects of hemodynamic stability, weight gain and feeding autonomy, with consequent early hospital discharge. It is therefore essential to understand how each method promotes the development of oro-motor skills, and it is also essential to contemplate the wishes and expectations of parents regarding food, such as exclusive breastfeeding.

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