The Dental Schools Council’s (DSC) Oral and Dental Health Clinical Researcher Task and Finish Group gives recommendations to ensure the country’s dental clinical academic workforce can rise to the challenge of narrowing oral health inequalities and meet changing population needs.

The report outlines key recommendations for stakeholders across the oral health sector. It is the third in a series commissioned by the Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research (OSCHR), exploring how to rebuild the country’s health research workforce.

It commits to coordinated action from universities, healthcare organisations, research funders, professional bodies and governments across all four nations.

Sector partners unite to grow oral health research workforce

The NHS 10 Year Plan mandates increased partnership working between universities and healthcare organisations and this is one example of that in practice.

The roadmap seeks to restore at least 75 full-time equivalent research-active academic posts over the next five years. This will be supported by improvements in workforce data collection, career development support and research training opportunities.

Professor Chris Vernazza, Head of Newcastle University School of Dental Sciences, was the OSCHR Oral Health Report Chair.

He said: “Oral and dental diseases are among the most prevalent health challenges facing populations across the UK and globally.

“However, despite the urgent need for new approaches to prevention, treatment and care delivery, the clinical research workforce that underpins innovation in oral health is shrinking and facing growing demands.

“Together with partners from across the sector, we have agreed practical actions to create clearer, more flexible and more attractive research career pathways, while encouraging and rewarding senior researchers who support emerging talent.

“Strengthening the oral health research workforce is essential if we are to generate the evidence, innovation and leadership needed to tackle inequalities, improve access to dental care and deliver better outcomes for future generations.”

Stakeholders will work collectively to deliver the recommendations, with progress overseen by a dedicated taskforce and reviewed by OSCHR over the next five years.

Progress in oral health is stalling Oral health diseases are becoming more prevalent, with recent data showing a resurgence in largely preventable tooth decay.

As highlighted in the NHS 10 year plan, longstanding inequalities persist across communities, and oral health outcomes are closely linked to deprivation, ethnicity and geography.

Poor oral health is also contributing to more than 15 million lost school days among children each year. The UK's capacity to respond to these challenges depends upon reversing the decline in the dental clinical academic workforce.

Strong research capacity is critical to identifying effective prevention strategies, improving service delivery and ensuring future care is sustainable. The decline is also impacting the pipeline of educators, which threatens the ability to recruit and train more dental students.

The case for change

Key findings of the report:

• The number of dental clinical academics has fallen from 435 full-time equivalent (FTE) posts in 2005 to 360 in 2025 (75 fewer).
• The workforce is ageing, with more than twice as many clinical academics aged over 55 (28%) as those aged under 36 (12%).
• The report identifies several barriers to entering clinical academia, including increasing service and financial pressures across higher education and health systems, insecure early-career posts and difficulties accessing research opportunities early in professional training.
• Dental care professionals (DCPs) and dentists working in primary care settings remain significantly underrepresented in dental research despite making up the majority of the oral health workforce, with barriers including limited role models and a lack of well-designed relevant research posts.

Recommendations To address these challenges, the report sets out a coordinated UK-wide action plan focused on three priorities:

1. Creating more flexible and accessible clinical academic career pathways
2. Strengthening leadership and mentoring for emerging researchers
3. Improving employment conditions and pay parity for clinical academics Emphasis is placed on widening opportunities for general dental practitioners and dental care professionals, including dental hygienists, dental therapists and dental nurses.

Dr Katie Petty-Saphon, Chief Executive of the Dental Schools Council, said: "By creating more flexible career pathways, strengthening support for researchers and widening opportunities for dental care professionals and practitioners working in primary care, we can build a more sustainable and inclusive research workforce that is better equipped to meet the needs of patients and communities.

“A stronger and more diverse clinical academic workforce is essential if our workforce and research is to reflect the experiences and needs of the communities it serves.”