Dental leaders call for prevention to move from ‘afterthought’ to frontline care at Smile Month 50th anniversary panel
Dental leaders, educators and future members of the profession have called for a stronger focus on evidence-based prevention, clearer patient communication and greater collaboration across the oral healthcare workforce during a special panel event marking 50 years of Smile Month.
Hosted by the Oral Health Foundation, the discussion brought together voices from across dentistry to reflect on the progress made in oral health over the past five decades - and the challenges still facing the profession.
A recurring theme throughout the panel was the need to move prevention from the margins of dentistry to the centre of patient care.
Speakers highlighted the importance of giving both patients and dental professionals clearer, more consistent guidance on evidence-based prevention and daily oral health routines.
Supporting this ambition, the Oral Health Foundation is partnering with Kenvue on behalf of Listerine to help turn the latest clinical consensus on dental plaque biofilm management into practical advice for both patients and the wider dental team.
The partnership will develop new patient education materials and chairside support tools for the dental team. The aim is to help professionals communicate prevention advice more clearly and consistently, particularly around daily oral hygiene routines and the role of adjunctive plaque control.
The initiative follows a landmark professional consensus supported by the Oral Health Foundation, the BSP, BSDHT and BADT, which reinforced the importance of evidence-based prevention strategies and clearer public understanding of oral disease prevention.
Speaking at the panel event, Dr Fiona Sandom, a dental educator at Health Education and Improvement Wales and former President of the British Association of Dental Therapists, warned that prevention is still not receiving the attention it deserves within the system.
Dr Sandom said: “Students feel the system is reactive and that prevention is almost like an afterthought rather than being at the forefront.
“We talk about prevention, but we do not give it a consistent approach, and it is still secondary.”
The panel also highlighted the need for the profession to improve how it communicates prevention advice to patients and communities, particularly as oral health inequalities continue to widen.
Professor Iain Chapple, Professor of Periodontology at the University of Birmingham, stressed the importance of translating evidence into clear and practical guidance for patients.
Professor Chapple said: “The biggest behaviour change challenge we have is not in our patients. It is in our own behaviour.
“We need clarity and a very clear message that people do not feel is going to change every five minutes.”
The discussion closely reflected a growing movement across dentistry towards more consistent, evidence-based prevention messaging, including greater awareness of the role of adjunctive plaque control in daily oral hygiene routines.
Professor Chapple added: “Mechanical plaque removal with fluoride toothpaste remains the foundation, but in some cases chemical agents in toothpaste and mouthwash absolutely have a role to play.”
The event also explored the future role of the wider dental team in delivering prevention and improving patient access to care.
Preetee Hylton, former President of the British Association of Dental Nurses, said the future of dentistry must be more collaborative and prevention-led.
Ms Hylton said: “We all contribute as a team to prevention, communication and patient safety.
“We have to start right at the beginning - educating mothers, going into communities and intervening earlier, not simply delivering restorative dentistry once disease has developed.”
The panel repeatedly returned to the importance of taking prevention beyond the surgery and into communities where oral disease and inequalities remain highest.
Dr Sandom added: “We need to take prevention out to the community rather than making patients come to us for prevention.”
The event also addressed the growing role of industry collaboration in supporting oral health education and improving public understanding of evidence-based prevention.
“Our industry partners have wonderful ways of improving health literacy in the community,” said Professor Chapple. “Whether it's Haleon or Kenvue, we have the same objective - to improve oral health.”
The discussion comes as the Oral Health Foundation continues its work with partners across dentistry and industry to help improve patient understanding of evidence-based prevention strategies and support more consistent oral health messaging across the profession.
Smile Month, celebrating its 50th anniversary, remains one of the UK’s longest-running and most recognised oral health campaigns.
About the Oral Health Foundation
The Oral Health Foundation is an independent charity dedicated to improving oral health and wellbeing around the world. Established in 1971, the charity works to reduce oral health inequalities by providing trusted information, supporting public education, influencing policy and campaigning for better oral health for all.
The Oral Health Foundation works alongside dental professionals, healthcare organisations, governments, schools, workplaces and communities to promote prevention, improve health literacy and help people make informed choices about their oral health.
For more information, visit the Oral Health Foundation website.