Oral health: local authorities and partners

Recommendation ID: PH55/6
Question: What is the relative effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the different components of multi-component, community-based oral health improvement programmes?
Any explanatory notes (if applicable): An important focus of oral health research should be to identify differences in effectiveness among various groups, based on characteristics such as socioeconomic status, age, gender and ethnicity in a range of settings (such as schools or workplaces). It should include studies with sufficient follow-up to consider the long term impact of poor oral health. Research should include patient-reported outcome measures to assess health and quality of life outcomes as well as clinical and non-clinical outcomes. Examples of clinical outcomes should include dental caries, periodontal health, prevalence of oral cancer and pre-cancer, and non dental clinical outcomes such as the prevalence of pneumonia and malnutrition in the elderly. Non-clinical outcomes should include the use of non-dental health and social care services by children and adults, such as numbers admitted to hospital to have teeth taken out, and the effect on independent living such as admissions to care homes, work related effects including sickness absence.

Source guidance details

Is this a recommendation for the use of a technology only in the context of research?	No
Is it a recommendation that suggests collection of data or the establishment of a register?	No
Last Reviewed	27/11/2014