There is a lack of explicit theoretical basis and clarification for the association between social inequalities and population oral health outcomes in the dental literature. This scoping review aims to gauge and explore the existing evidence on theoretical explanations for pathways and mechanisms through which social inequalities affects population oral health. The objectives of this scoping review are: 1. To organize and present the existing evidence on the association between social inequalities and population oral health according to social theories. 2. To identify and categorize conceptual and measurement alternatives used in the existing evidence to measure social class or socioeconomic inequalities according to either stratification or relational approach. 3. To highlight the existing gap in evidence for future research implications in this field. Specifically, this review seeks to answer the following question:  What is the nature and extent of social theories being used as a basis to explain the associations between social inequalities and population oral health in the existing literature?