Interprofessional collaboration: Integrating the dietitian into the dental practice

Investigating how integrating dietitians into paediatric dental clinics can improve oral health and healthy weight in children
Tooth and dentists mirror with bowl of fruit in the background, dentistry and dietetics
 

Overview

This research project investigates how integrating dietitians into paediatric dental clinics can improve both oral health and healthy weight in children. Using diet as a common risk factor approach, the project aims to design a structured care pathway for primary care dental settings.
Childhood obesity and tooth decay are two of the most pressing public health issues in the UK. Both conditions are strongly diet-related and largely preventable, yet continue to place a heavy burden on families and the NHS. Although dental teams see children regularly and have unique opportunities to promote healthy habits, the nutritional support provided is often limited, focusing narrowly on sugar intake and overlooking wider dietary, social, and behavioural needs.
This project proposes a different approach: embedding dietitians within paediatric dental teams to offer holistic, tailored dietary advice. Dietitians are skilled in assessing food-related health risks, delivering practical support for long-term behaviour change, and interpreting height, weight, and BMI – all of which complement and enhance dental care. They also support families in navigating complex challenges, such as food insecurity, feeding difficulties, or managing conditions that require sedation or specialist oral care.
By identifying practical enablers and barriers, and co-developing a structured interprofessional care pathway, the project aims to demonstrate how a collaborative model can enhance patient experience, reduce risk, and promote prevention.

Objectives

  • Identify barriers and enablers dental professionals and caregivers face in delivering effective dietary advice, particularly regarding nutrition's impact on oral and general health.
  • Evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of including dietitians in dental clinics, exploring perspectives from dental staff, caregivers, and dietitians themselves.
  • Develop an interprofessional care pathway, guiding how dietitians and dental professionals can work together to support children's overall wellbeing.

Tooth decay and obesity both stem from similar underlying causes: unhealthy diets and social inequality. By bringing dietitians into dental clinics, we can offer families the joined-up support they actually need – not just to treat problems, but to prevent them altogether.

Patricia Casas AgustenchDr Patricia Casas Agustench
Lecturer in Nutrition

Context of the issue

In the UK:
  • One in four children starts school overweight or obese.
  • Nearly a quarter of five-year-olds have visible tooth decay.
  • Dental extractions are a leading cause of hospital admission in children.
Despite being preventable, both obesity and tooth decay are linked to dietary habits, socio-economic status, and access to care, and both are rising in complexity and cost.

How the project addresses the issue

This research explores an evidence-informed solution, placing dietitians where children already go for care. By co-locating expertise, the project aims to:
  • Deliver early, personalised nutrition interventions in a non-stigmatising setting.
  • Relieve pressure on dental teams by sharing responsibility for dietary guidance.
  • Foster interprofessional education and teamwork, enhancing care quality and outcomes.
  • Empower caregivers through coherent, accessible, and ongoing support.

Publications

Hallewell, L., Bescos, R., Brookes, Z., Witton, R. and Casas-Agustench, P. (2025), Exploring Barriers and Facilitators to Dietary Assessment and Advice in the Paediatric Population Attending Dental Clinics: A Scoping Review. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdoe.13046
 
 
 
 
 
 

Oral Microbiome Research Group

The Oral Microbiome Research Group is a multidisciplinary team of scientists, clinicians (dentists) and educationalists, investigating the immunological and vascular mechanisms by which oral bacteria regulate health and disease.
The Group's approach is translational, with clinical trials underway in human participants and with human tissue, as well as laboratory-based studies utilising metagenomics, physiological analysis, molecular biology, tissue culture and tissue engineering models. Clinical trials also involve research led by the dental team, in primary care dental clinics (PDSE), to offer a variety of health screening services at the dentist.
Close-up of bacteria found in the mouth which can cause halitosis or bad breath.