Dental public health

Dental public health research involves looking at how clinicians work with patients from different demographics, to promote oral health and prevent disease. This can affect quality of life, lead to poor school attendance, difficulties in speech and eating problems.

Our research focuses on monitoring and improving oral health. We seek to understand how clinicians work with patients from different demographics to promote oral health and prevent diseases. Our research also investigates barriers to dental care to ensure high quality dentistry is available to all.

We explore issues around health promotion and intervention in early years and primary schools, and the impact on children's oral health. We also investigate whether outreach dental care can make a positive impact on combatting inequality, lack of dental care and poor diet. 

Methods and facilities

Our research uses a mix of qualitative and quantitative techniques, including surveys, interviews and focus groups. We also engage in big data research, using existing routine data sets to monitor patient profiles and model different health care delivery.

Dental public health research is patient and community facing. Through our Dental Clinic, we have a large data warehouse of patient profiles and activity, which provides invaluable data for our research. Our dental students deliver quality dental care in the Dental Clinic to around 3,000 local people every year. We offer treatments such as gum treatment, filling and preventative treatment, crowns and bridgework, and oral health promotion. 

Our research informs our undergraduate and postgraduate research degree programmes.

Funding

• The Oral and Dental Trust have funded 3 projects in the last 3 years amounting to about £6,000
• Public Health England gave £5,000 for our dental animation project
• Southampton City Council gave £5000 to evaluate their pilot healthy early years oral health programme
• Solent Trust has provided £50,000 to support our research

Discover our areas of expertise

Dental public health is one of our areas of research expertise in Dental and Oral Health – explore the others below.

Interested in a PhD in Dental & Oral Health?

Browse our postgraduate research degrees – including PhDs and MPhils – at our Dental & Oral Health postgraduate research degrees page.