Despite established preventive care recommendations in British dentistry, significant gaps between policy and practice remain unfilled. A recent nationwide study revealed substantial discrepancy between patient expectations and the actual delivery of preventive services.
The study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, 505 dentists and other oral hygiene specialists were surveyed, as well as 2000 consumers. The second stage included questionnaires of 1004 parents and 1004 children. Special attention was paid to patient motivation, awareness and practice, as well as the presence of a preventive component in the work of specialists.
Most patients and dentists believed that preventive advice should be part of every preventive examination. However, reality proved different: only half of patients reported receiving such information, while only one-third of dentists indicated regular provision of preventive recommendations.
Awareness of the availability of preventive care within the National Health Service (NHS) was also found to be insufficient. Approximately half of consumers were unaware of these services, while three out of four NHS specialists were aware of the provision of such care.
Gender differences were identified among patients: women showed greater interest in preventive information and were better informed about NHS offerings. Among the specialists themselves, no significant differences on this indicator were found.
Geography plays a notable role. Awareness of NHS preventive services varied from just over 40% in Wales to over 80% in the North West of England. Agreement that prevention matters ranged from around 50% in Northern Ireland to an overwhelming majority in Yorkshire and the Humber. Children’s satisfaction with the state of their teeth and regularity of visits also varied between regions.
The study authors suggested that inequality in access and differences in funding, policy and service organization contribute to these variations.
The study demonstrated the need to improve communication between specialists and patients, increase health literacy among the population, and achieve more consistent integration of preventive recommendations into routine clinical practice. The authors recommend developing targeted educational programs for consumers and strengthening professional training of specialists.
These findings are consistent with previous qualitative research, which identified patient-dependent, specialist-dependent and structural barriers to the implementation of preventive actions in practice and emphasized communication, professional education and institutional support as key areas for improvement.
The full study “Barriers and disparities in preventive oral health care in the UK: Insights from oral health professionals and consumers surveys” was published on August 25, 2026 in the journal BDJ Open.
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