Call for evidence on: ‘Oral health: approaches for general dental practice teams on promoting oral health’

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been asked by the Department of Health (DH) to develop public health guidance on Oral health: approaches for general dental practice teams on promoting oral health. This includes how to make the oral health promotion aspect of any visit to the dentist a positive experience.

Plymouth University has been contracted to review the effectiveness of oral health promotion messages, and Birmingham University and Brunel University have been commissioned to review the cost-effectiveness of these approaches.

The final scope for this guidance can be found here.

http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/gid-phg60/documents/oral-health-promotion-approaches-for-dental-health-practitioners-final-scope2

1. Effectiveness of oral health promotion

We would like to receive details of evidence relating to the questions below and as outlined in the scope.

• What are the most effective and cost-effective approaches that dental teams can use to convey oral health promotion messages to patients?
• Are oral health promotion messages more likely to have an effect on patients if they are linked with wider health outcomes, such as heart and lung disease or diabetes?
• What helps dental health teams to deliver oral health promotion messages? What prevents effective delivery?
• What helps patients to understand and act upon oral health promotion messages? What stops them from understanding or taking action – or not following the full advice - even if they do understand the messages?
• How can oral health promotion messages be delivered in a way that ensures people leave the dentist satisfied about their visit and motivated to follow the advice given?

We have undertaken a broad review of the literature and are therefore only requesting the following types of studies:

• Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) examining the effects of  conveying oral health promotion messages by dental health practitioners and their team*
• Economic Evaluations

We are not seeking evidence relating to smoking cessation and health promotion messages.

*Only RCTs which have been conducted in the dental practice will be included. RCTs conducted in the community will not be included.

2.       Cost-effectiveness

In addition we would like to receive studies relating to the areas below:

• Estimates of costs or savings in NHS or individual expenditure that are associated with different methods used by dental health teams to convey oral health advice to patients. 
• Estimates of individual preferences over oral health outcomes and the experience of receiving oral health advice from dental health teams.

This call for evidence is taking place between 03 October 2014 and 31 October 2014

Please use the relevant form from the website (see below for the published evidence form or the unpublished evidence form) and send any comments by 1700pm on 31 October at the absolute latest to Prof. Elizabeth Kay, Plymouth University (elizabeth.kay@plymouth.ac.uk).

Please note that the following material is not eligible for consideration:

1. Promotional material.
2. Undocumented assertions of effectiveness.
3. Opinion pieces
4. Forms with attachments of published material, or hard copy of published material

Instructions for Published material

Please send full reference details (which are to include author/s, title, date, journal or publication details including volume and issue number and page numbers) - NOT a PDF/WORD attachment or hard copy - using this form  by 1700pm on 31 October 2014 to Prof. Elizabeth Kay (elizabeth.kay@plymouth.ac.uk).

Oral Health Messages: call for evidence - stakeholder response form (published material)

Instructions for Unpublished material

If you are aware of trials/ongoing research relevant to our questions which are in progress please could you help us to identify that information by providing relevant information such as a link to a trial registered with the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Clinical Trials), or with the US National Institute of Health trials registry. Please use this form by 1700pm on 31 October 2014 to Prof. Elizabeth Kay (elizabeth.kay@plymouth.ac.uk).

Oral Health Messages: call for evidence - stakeholder response form (unpublished material)

Academic or commercial in-confidence material

If you wish to submit academic in confidence material (i.e. written but not yet published) or commercial in confidence material (i.e. internal documentation), please could you highlight which sections are confidential, for example by using the highlighter function in Word.  Such content will not be made public.  Please refer to section 4.4 of the Process guide for further information on submissions of confidential material. Please send any relevant information by 1700pm on 1 November 2014 to Prof. Elizabeth Kay (elizabeth.kay@plymouth.ac.uk).

For further information on the project, please visit our website

We look forward to receiving information on this and thank you in advance for your help.