The evaluation of health promotion activities is a methodological and strategic challenge for establishing evidence to support health management processes. The use of adequate evaluation methods based on participatory analysis of local processes and contexts is essential to the success of interventions and policy formulation and implementation. Brazil's Policy for Oral Health Promotion and Surveillance explicitly states the need to improve evaluation strategies for oral health promotion activities conducted in the context of primary care, allowing to evaluate not only their results and impact, but also the political and social process for achieving the objectives. This article proposes to systematize the literature on the evaluation of effectiveness in health promotion strategies, define a theoretical model, and propose a matrix of descriptors, exploring the basic references for health promotion and practices with the potential to reduce situations of vulnerability in population groups, combat inequalities, and incorporate community participation in health management.