58 | Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2023;51:58–61. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cdoe 1 | INTRODUCTION Despite the increasing number of dental public health papers, 1 conceptual models seem misused and underused in aetiological research. The lack of models or their misuse raises potential prob- lems. Firstly, conceptual models convey state of the art in science; thus, not following them may unnecessarily confirm what is already known without filling a knowledge gap. During research planning, conceptual models offer guidance on variables to be assessed and included in the data collection process. Secondly, the lack of the- ory in data analysis may lead to the so-called ‘fishing expedition’, whereby reporting statistically significant tests of spurious associ- ations is the hallmark. An investigator may explicitly state that their goal is to assess an aetiological relation, but may also use terms like ‘prediction’ to avoid a more complex causal debate about the role of a supposed risk factor. Though exploring new risk factors is not by itself wrong, doing that without robust theoretical frameworks may divert scarce time and resources to unimportant questions, leading Received: 13 October 2021 | Revised: 25 June 2022 | Accepted: 5 August 2022 DOI: 10.1111/cdoe.12786 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Challenges in operationalizing conceptual models in aetiological research Roger Keller Celeste 1 | Beatriz Carriconde Colvara 1 | Rafaela Soares Rech 2 | Michael Eduardo Reichenheim 3 | João Luiz Bastos 4 © 2023 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 1 Department of Preventive and Social Dentistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil 2 Department of Speech Therapy, Federal University of Health Science of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil 3 Department of Epidemiology, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Brazil 4 Department of Public Health, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil Correspondence Roger Keller Celeste, Department of Preventive and Social Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry/UFRGS, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2492, 3° andar, Porto Alegre – RS, CEP 90035-003, Brazil. Email: roger.keller@ufrgs.br Funding information Brazilian Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel - CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior); CNPq, Grant/Award Number: 303775/2021-1; Brazilian National Council of Scientific and Technological Development - CNPQ (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico), Grant/Award Number: 311592/2019-8 Abstract Conceptual or theoretical models are crucial in developing causal hypotheses and in- terpreting study findings, but they have been underused and misused in aetiological research, particularly in dentistry and oral epidemiology. Good models should incor- porate updated evidence and clarify knowledge gaps to derive logical hypotheses. Developing models and deriving testable hypotheses in operational models can be challenging, as seen in the four examples referred to in this commentary. One chal- lenge concerns the theoretical validity of the model, while another relates to diffi- culties in operationalizing abstract concepts. A third challenge refers to the lack of sufficient information in the dataset to test partially or even the whole model. Finally, a common challenge is the application of a conceptual model to different contexts. Among the existing methodological approaches to operationalize conceptual models, causal graphs may be helpful, especially when combined with approaches from di- verse disciplinary fields via triangulation. KEYWORDS causality, epidemiologic methods, public health dentistry, research, theoretical models 16000528, 2023, 1, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cdoe.12786 by CAPES, Wiley Online Library on [19/02/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License