Survey is first Be Part of Research supported study to publish results
A survey about people’s views towards receiving weight management support from dental practices is the first study to be supported by Be Part of Research and publish its findings.
The observational study surveyed people to see if they were open to the idea of dental teams:
- offering height and weight measurements
- signposting to weight management services as part of routine dental appointments
The researchers used our new matching service to find people to take part in the survey. We sent invitations to more than 3,900 people who signed up to Be Part of Research. Over 1,400 of them took part in the study. An extra 2,100 participants were surveyed from 22 dental sites in the UK.
The study has now finished and found people are generally supportive of the idea. Of those surveyed, 60% of adults supported the idea of weight screening at a dental check-up. And 57% said it was acceptable to be offered support to help manage their weight by their dental team.
People who are less likely to seek help with weight management were more open to receiving this support via their local dental practice. Men and people identifying as non-white ethnicities were nearly twice as likely to accept weight screening and support than other participants.
The survey asked about various forms of support. Providing information about local weight-management programmes was the most popular. 84% of participants were in favour.
Parents and carers were generally in favour of receiving support with weight loss for their children (67%). They preferred a referral to the GP by dental teams.
Researcher Jessica Large is a paediatric dentist at the Charles Clifford Dental Hospital in Sheffield. She carried out the study with the Centre for Lifestyle Medicine and Behaviour (CLiMB) at Loughborough University.
She said: “We distributed the questionnaire to gain a better insight into what people think about having their weight taken and health discussed during their dental appointment. We found it could be more favourable with patients than you may expect.
“Some of the comments we received in the questionnaire suggested dental teams could be suitable people to discuss weight with, as they already discuss diet and may see some patients more often than other healthcare professionals. Some participants also commented on how conditions that affect the mouth can affect the rest of the body and so it was important for dental teams to help with weight and promote overall health.
“One comment from a participant stated, ‘sometimes this information is better not coming from your GP.’ It is not our intention for dental professionals to become weight management specialists."
"It’s about having that very brief interaction; knowing who to refer people to and ensuring the subject is broached in a sensitive manner.”
- Jessica Large, Doctoral Researcher
Living with obesity is a public health concern globally. It increases the risk of developing chronic conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. These are in turn associated with dental problems such as gum disease and possibly tooth decay.
Involving dental professionals in early screening and intervention provides a more joined-up approach across healthcare. And could potentially help patients avoid developing other serious health conditions.
Jessica is now looking to run a small scale, feasibility trial. It will test if offering weight screening and signposting by dental professionals is acceptable and achievable in practice. She will also explore the impact it would have on the running of dental practices. If that goes well, recruitment can begin for a larger scale study.
For the full study results, visit the Wiley Online Library.
How you can get involved with research
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