Dental public health

[Families talk oral health and research]

Dr Kristina Wanyonyi: This project was a collaboration between the University of Portsmouth, Dental Academy and Solent Academy of Research. The aim of this project was to talk with families about their oral health and how to engage them in oral health research. This was informed by the recently concluded James Lindh Alliance Priority Setting Exercise. 

Sally Shillaker: Today we've engaged with parents of young children to find out from them what they understand by what oral health means. 

Speaker 1: I brush his teeth and obviously mine as well. Morning and night time. 

Speaker 2: He doesn't eat sweets or anything sugary stuff like, I try to give him, he is a health freak - what I call you a health freak and he, he loves fruit. So he's forever eating fruit.

Speaker 3: He's getting quite independent now, so he wants to do it himself and sometimes he refuses to have it done, so it's a struggle to get him to brush his teeth, but we do get there. 

Speaker 3: Yeah, they don't rinse their teeth, I've got two boys, they don't rinse.

Speaker 2: No I've not had that, no. 

Speaker 1: No. See with him, I can't do that. He'll brush them. Then he has a go because he's learning himself now, but he will – if you – after you give him some water, he'll just drink it. He won't spit. 

Speaker 2: No, no. 

Speaker 3: No. 

Speaker 1: Yeah, cause my health visitor told me only the littlest bit on the tooth brush. Yeah, he went about 10, just after 10 months I think he was so it was before he was 1. 

Speaker 3: I was always told it was just when they got teeth. 

Speaker 1: He's been having it, since the first one appeared I've just started brushing them. 

Sally Shillaker: We've also asked participants what they think about oral health research, what they know about it, whether they've ever taken part. 

Speaker 2: I've heard, they do, yeah, they do, do research but I've never been involved personally. No, no. 

Speaker 3: I haven't had any interviews but my eldest son is 5 he goes to school, he's in year one now. He's in a dental study at school so he brushes his teeth at lunchtime that's all. I think we get sent a survey as well. 

Speaker 1: I don't know actually I think they, they did a thing at Northern Parade once, I don't think, I can't remember what it was about now. It was some research thing they were doing. 

Speaker 2: Possibly depends if you've got to go to places and things like that. I'm not very good at getting out and about really, I prefer, I am very busy, I'm always busy like 24/7 really so it's just finding the time.

Speaker 1: I suppose everyone's different now aren't they.