Recruitment and retention in dentistry in the UK: a scoping review to explore the challenges across the UK, with a particular interest in rural and coastal areas

Evans, Deborah; Burns, Lorna; Mills, Ian; Bryce, Marie; Hanks, Sally

doi:10.1038/s41415-022-5406-0

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Training and support for the dental team were areas identi ed in our survey, the Cumbria Report 2 , and within the wider literature 20,31 . This is an area which could, and should, be in short term with a focus on all members of the dental team, in order to support CPD, career progression, networking and social interaction 20 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Dental workforce challenges in rural England: Survey into recruitment and retention in Devon and Cornwall

Mills

Bryce²,

Clarry

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Introduction Devon and Cornwall have been identified as a “dental desert” with limited NHS dental access, high levels of oral health inequality and challenges in recruitment and retention of the dental workforce. Recruitment and retention of all members of the dental team has been identified as an important factor in the availability of dental services particularly within rural and coastal areas. During the last five years there has been an 8% decrease in the number of dentists working within the NHS in Devon, and although this may be due to a variety of factors, recruitment and retention appears to be key Aims The aim of this research was to explore the experiences of dental practices within Devon and Cornwall in relation to recruitment and retention of the dental workforce. Method A self-administered, online questionnaire was used to explore various aspects of recruitment and retention of the dental workforce in Devon and Cornwall. The questionnaire included categorical rating scale and free text question formats providing both quantitative and qualitative data. Rating scales were analysed using frequency analysis, and the free-text answers analysed using thematic analysis. Results 106 dental practices responded to the survey, providing a response rate of 36%. The vast majority of respondents (94%) considered recruitment and retention to be a major barrier to delivering NHS services. 77% of practices had a current staff vacancy; 57% had a dentist vacancy; and 48% had a vacancy for dental nurses. Thematic analysis led to identification of four main themes which were considered to influence recruitment and retention: NHS system; Economic Challenges; Logistics; Support Networks. The current NHS dental contract was identified as the main barrier in recruiting and retaining workforce within the NHS in the region. Other factors such as income generation, workload, economic challenges, geographic isolation, lack of support, training opportunities and career development were identified as important issues which affected both NHS and private practices in rural and coastal areas. Conclusion Recruitment and retention of the dental workforce is a major barrier to delivering oral healthcare services in the Southwest Peninsula. A large number of dental practices are failing to operate at capacity due to workforce shortages which is affecting both NHS and private practices. The situation is most acute in recruitment and retention of dentists and dental nurses, with NHS practices affected more than the private sector. Urgent action is needed at a local, regional and national level to avoid further deterioration.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Dental workforce challenges in rural England: Survey into recruitment and retention in Devon and Cornwall

Mills

Bryce²,

Clarry

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…Self‐care information was clearly highly relevant to citizens on the platform, which is likely to be the reason that this topic received more attention. In addition, the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic resulted in the closure of dental practices in the United Kingdom and subsequently patients have found it more difficult to access NHS oral health professionals 21,22 . Investing in self‐care was therefore seen as an unmet need.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic resulted in the closure of dental practices in the United Kingdom and subsequently patients have found it more difficult to access NHS oral health professionals. 21,22 Investing in self-care was therefore seen as an unmet need. This priority is in line with recommendations to reshape preventive services in primary care dentistry.…”

Section: Evaluation Of Citizens' Experience Of Taking Part In the Pla...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Citizen science to improve patient and public involvement in GUideline Implementation in oral health and DEntistry (the GUIDE platform)

Hosie,

Firdaus,

Clarkson

et al. 2023

Health Expectations

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BackgroundCitizen science is a way to democratise science by involving groups of citizens in the research process. Clinical guidelines are used to improve practice, but their implementation can be limited. Involving patients and the public can enhance guideline implementation, but there is uncertainty about the best approaches to achieve this. Citizen science is a potential way to involve patients and the public in improving clinical guideline implementation. We aimed to explore the application of citizen science methods to involve patients and the public in the dissemination and implementation of clinical guidelines in oral health and dentistry.MethodsWe developed GUIDE (GUideline Implementation in oral health and DEntistry), a citizen science online platform, using a participatory approach with researchers, oral health professionals, guideline developers and citizens. Recruitment was conducted exclusively online. The platform focused on prespecified challenges related to oral health assessment guidelines, and asked citizens to generate ideas, as well as vote and comment on other citizens' ideas to improve those challenges. Citizens also shared their views via surveys and two online synchronous group meetings. Data were collected on participant's demographics, platform engagement and experience of taking part. The most promising idea category was identified by an advisory group based on engagement, feasibility and relevance. We presented quantitative data using descriptive statistics and analysed qualitative data using inductive and deductive thematic analysis.ResultsThe platform was open for 6 months and we recruited 189 citizens, from which over 90 citizens actively engaged with the platform. Most citizens were over 34 years (64%), female (58%) and had a university degree (50%). They generated 128 ideas, 146 comments and 248 votes. The challenge that led to most engagement was related to prevention and oral health self‐care. To take this challenge forward, citizens generated a further 36 ideas to improve a pre‐existing National Health Service oral care prevention leaflet. Citizens discussed motivations to take part in the platform (understanding, values, self‐care), reasons to stay engaged (communication and feedback, outputs and impact, and relevance of topics discussed) and suggestions to improve future platforms.ConclusionCitizen science is an effective approach to generate and prioritise ideas from a group of citizens to improve oral health and dental services. Prevention and oral health self‐care were of particular interest to citizens. More research is needed to ensure recruitment of a diverse group of citizens and to improve retention in citizen science projects.Patient or Public ContributionThis project was inherently conducted with the input of public partners (citizen scientists) in all key aspects of its conduct and interpretation. In addition, two public partners were part of the research team and contributed to the design of the project, as well as key decisions related to its conduct, analysis, interpretation and dissemination and are co‐authors of this manuscript.

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“…While there are recruitment and retention problems in all aspects of NHS dentistry, 3 this is particularly so in academic primary care dentistry. “Even though it can be hugely rewarding, academic training isn’t viewed as a desirable pathway for the majority of young graduates,” says Dr Mills.…”

Section: The Right To Smile Consensusmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Oral Health and Dental Care special interest group

Dowden

2023

Prescriber

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Recruitment and retention in dentistry in the UK: a scoping review to explore the challenges across the UK, with a particular interest in rural and coastal areas

Cited by 12 publications

References 34 publications

Dental workforce challenges in rural England: Survey into recruitment and retention in Devon and Cornwall

Dental workforce challenges in rural England: Survey into recruitment and retention in Devon and Cornwall

Citizen science to improve patient and public involvement in GUideline Implementation in oral health and DEntistry (the GUIDE platform)

The Oral Health and Dental Care special interest group

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