September 2023

The central premise of Dental Public Health (DPH) is striving to change the oral health of the nation for the better and as Leo Buscaglia, the 19th century historian, elegantly stated; ‘Change is the end result of all true learning’. The two primary goals of DPH; promoting oral health and preventing oral disease, have at their very heart the education of the general public and patients. Similarly, in seeking to recruit, train and retain an effective dental workforce, with a focus on oral health-related quality of life improvements, close attention to the education of those practitioners is imperative. It is necessary therefore, when designing and delivering any impactful DPH initiative, whether it be directed at patients, public or practitioners, that due consideration is given to its educational facets in order to ensure maximum benefit. The role of education and training in such developments should not be an afterthought and must be informed by a robust evidence-base developed through rigorously designed and conducted educational research. Clinical Education Research (ClinEdR) encompasses a breadth of research activity in dental and other clinical professions education. As well as developing and evaluating educational interventions, it considers learner and practitioner experience and is grounded in theories that shape our understanding of education and work in health and social care. In this way, ClinEdR impacts by enhancing the education, training and development of health and social care practitioners, and the organisations within which they work and learn. In encompassing areas of enquiry such as retention, recruitment and the establishment of a more stable, inclusive and diverse workforce, education research has potential to impact the very cornerstone of dental public health.