Big Bites and Pearly Whites: Improving children's oral health
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Big Bites and Pearly Whites: A public health initiative to improve children's oral health
IRAS ID
239516
Contact name
Vikram Palit
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
This is a three-year health promotion campaign and observational study that aims to raise awareness, knowledge and improve the oral health of children attending Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust.
The causes of dental decay in children are largely preventable; and as a result, there is a strong case for action. The aim of the project is to raise awareness and improve the health of children’s oral health. We aim to do this by giving parents correct and timely preventative advice regarding how to look after children’s teeth, and linking them to local dental practices in the community.
We will recruit families attending children’s dental and outpatients’ clinics at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital over a three-year period, from 2018-2021. During the clinic visits, we will conduct 20 minute interviews where we will survey parents/carers about their knowledge regarding their children’s teeth and how to look after them. We will then provide targeted health advice to consenting parents about tooth brushing frequency, healthy diets and when to take their child to visit a dentist. Finally, we will refer parents to local dental practices and provide complementary paper-based and internet health resources (NHS choices).
By the end of the three year intervention, we aim to demonstrate an improved awareness of children’s dental health across the trust, by providing the education programme to over 3000 families. Pre and post parent surveys will also be used to demonstrate an improved understanding and knowledge of the importance of children’s dental health. We will also collect information about where families live, their medical and dental history and other risk factors for poor dental health. Additionally, the study aims to follow up a cohort of children who received the intervention, to see whether we were able to prevent a repeat presentation for teeth extraction due to dental caries.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/NE/0161
Date of REC Opinion
9 May 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion