Oral and Dental Health
About this PSP
The Oral and Dental Health PSP was established to find out what are the most important research questions about dental care and what keeps people's mouths, teeth and gums healthy.
The PSP was instigated from observations that few large scale clinical studies were being conducted in the UK (as evidenced by the size of the NIHR Oral and Dental Portfolio), that much oral and dental research in this area was fragmented and could be more ambitious, collaborative and multi-centre. There was also a perception that Oral and Dental Research was not prioritised by research funders and that funding calls could be better targeted to key areas.
The Oral and Dental Health PSP Top 10 was published in December 2018.
PSP website
Impact after the Top 10
Key documents
Top 10 Priorities
- What is the best way to prevent tooth decay, and reduce oral health inequalities at a community or population level?
- How can access to dental services be improved for the general public?
- What are the most effective ways of increasing early detection/diagnosis of oral cancer?
- How can access to dental services be improved for people with additional needs?
- How can dental health professionals work with other health professionals to help improve oral health?
- How can basic oral hygiene be achieved for people with additional care needs?
- How to improve communication between dental teams and patients/carers?
- Is there a role for dental health professionals in treating oral health problems to improve general health?
- What is the best way to prevent gum disease, and reduce oral health inequalities at a community or population level?
- What role do digital technologies play in the provision of dental care?
The following questions were also discussed and put in order of priority at the workshop:
- What is the best way to treat patients who are dentally anxious?
- What are the best ways of managing oral conditions associated with cancer treatment?
- Do dental care professionals have a role in screening and treating for general health problems?
- What is the best way for dental teams to manage gum disease?
- What are the barriers/enablers to maintaining a healthy mouth (across different populations and settings)?
- How can people be encouraged to reduce sugar consumption for oral and general health?
- What are the most effective ways of managing potentially malignant disorders (e.g oral lichen planus)?
- What is the best way to prevent gum disease in individuals?
- What is the best way to manage teeth missing for any reason (e.g tooth decay, trauma, developmental conditions) and at any age?
- What is the best way to prevent tooth decay in individuals (of all ages)?
- Is cleaning in between teeth needed for maintaining good oral health?
- What interventions are best at managing tooth grinding/clenching?
- Is the use of a daily mouthwash at home, useful for maintaining good oral health?
- What are the long-term health effects (including harms) of tooth whitening?
- Should dental professionals recommend e-cigarettes?
Document downloads
For full details of all of the questions identified by this PSP, please see the document below.