About FPH Vision for the Public's Health

Get involved with Faculty work

Skip navigation

Oral Health SIG / BASCD

The vision of the Oral Health SIG is good oral health for all.  It is governed, and actions overseen, by the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry (BASCD), in partnership with the FPH.  BASCD is focused on oral health improvement, epidemiology, teaching and training, research, dental services, member resources and the provision of member conferences and meetings. Further details on their work can be found on the BASCD website.

The Memorandum of Understanding between BASCD and FPH can be found here.

Upcoming events

BASCD are delighted to announce the BASCD Spring Scientific Meeting 2025. 

The conference, themed “What I learned about…”, is being held at Cardiff University on Thursday 19 and Friday 20 June.  You can read the programme here. 

Register here

Recent work

BASCD has hosted a suite of masterclass sessions focussing on the 4th edition of Delivering Better Oral Health (2021) from a public health perspective.

There are four sessions, each was delivered by experts in the field who have contributed to the development of the Delivering Better Oral Health toolkit.

Click here to access the recordings of the masterclasses.

Contact

The Oral Health Special Interest Group reports to the Faculty's Health Improvement Committee.

The SIG chair can be reached at melanie.rose@dhsc.gov.uk.

Join the Oral Health SIG

FPH members can join this SIG by logging into their FPH members’ portal account, selecting the ‘Committees/SIGs’ button and choosing the correct SIG. You will then be asked to provide a few details, following which your application will be automatically approved. Further details on FPH membership are available here.

Workplan

Vision and Aims

The vision of the Oral Health SIG is good oral health for all.  It will be governed, and actions overseen, by the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry (BASCD).

The long-term (3-year) strategic aims are to:

  • Communicate a sound body of knowledge and evidence in relation to the improvement of oral health and development of high quality and sustainable oral health care.
  • Support the continued professional development of both the dental and wider public health workforce in relation to the improvement of oral health and the development of oral health care.
  • Support collaborative working and shared learning on evidence-based practice.
  • Champion the integration of oral health care into general health
  • Influence policy at international, national, regional and local levels.
  • Be an effective advocate for good oral health for all.

Activity: Use opportunities, including BASCD conference, to promote research and professional collaboration related to oral health improvement.

Outcome: 

  • BASCD Spring Scientific Meeting
  • BASCD Autumn Scientific Meeting
  • Webinars/Joint Webinars
  • Contact with other relevant groups/organisations with an offer to speak at their conferences (i.e., on the common risk approach) 

Target date:

  • Spring 2025
  • Autumn 2025
  • Ongoing 

Named lead: SIG Chair

Progress to date: 

  • Initial meeting with Justin Varney – Bennett Chair of FPH EDI SIG. 
  • Email sent to Alisha Davies inviting the AI and Digital PH SIG to produce a joint paper/webinar.  
  • BASCD President Designate has also invited presentation at the Spring 2026 BASCD Scientific Meeting.

Outputs: 

  • BASCD Spring Scientific meeting: June 2025.  Details shared with FPH and FPH OHI SIG.
  • Joint EDI/OHI SIG paper and webinar related to ‘never seen, never heard’ cohorts.
  • Joint AI and Digital PH/OHI SIG paper, webinar and presentation relating to AI in dentistry and dental public health.

Activity: Enable access to resources, from across each of the four nations, for public health professionals on a range of issues related to oral health improvement. 

Outcome: 

  • Increased knowledge of issues related to oral health among FPH members and the wider public health community.
  • Open access to information and resources to improve oral health and reduce inequalities, and reduce duplication

Target date: Ongoing 

Named lead: 

  • Lead responsibility: SIG Chair
  • Contribution responsibility: All SIG members

Progress to date: TBC

Outputs: BASCD website linked to the FPH OHI SIG webpage.

Activity: Raise awareness of dental public health workforce issues with other relevant organisations, starting with the FPH.

Outcome: 

  • FPH Workforce Strategy advocates for dental public health. 
  • Co-authored blog highlighting the issues relating to the dental public health workforce produced by Charlotte Jeavons (BASCD President) and Tracy Daszkiewicz (FPH President)

Target date: Ongoing 

Named lead: 

  • Lead responsibility: SIG Chair
  • Contribution responsibility: All SIG members

Progress to date: Currently waiting outcome of research ethics board review.

Outputs: 

  • FPH Workforce Strategy advocates for dental public health.
  • Co-authored blog produced and published by June 2025.
  • BASCD survey of member planned. 

Activity: Describe options for further training in dental and general public health for those other than Consultants, Specialists and Trainees in dental public health to upskill the workforce in public health approaches to improving oral health.

Outcome: Options for further training in dental and general public health have been communicated via BASCD and FPH. 

Target date: 31st March 2026 

Named lead: The OHI SIG will be informed by the BASCD Consultants and Specialist Group who are leading on this action.

Progress to date: TBC

Outputs: Communication via BASCD and FPH

Activity: Promote all relevant evidence-based training  using the BASCD and FPH social media platforms.

Outcome: 

  • Masterclasses
  • Increased visibility of advertised events. Measured through the reporting of available social media analytics.

Target date: Ongoing

Named lead: SIG Chair

Progress to date: TBC

Outputs: Social media posts

Activity: Respond to relevant government, NICE and other consultations in collaboration with BASCD. 

Outcome: Shared agreement regarding the response has been achieved.

Target date: Ongoing/as required

Named lead: 

  • Lead responsibility : SIG Chair
  • Contribution responsibility: All SIG members

Progress to date: TBC

Outputs: Evidence of response.

Activity: Produce FPH position statements, as required, on interventions that support oral health, such as water fluoridation, etc.

Outcome: Position statements on interventions that support oral health have been produced and are supported by BASCD.

Target date: Ongoing/as required

Named lead: 

  • Lead responsibility : SIG Chair
  • Contribution responsibility: All SIG members

Progress to date:

Outputs: TBC

  • Media and Enquiry Response document has been produced and circulated.
  • Make existing BASCD position papers available to SIG members.

Activity: Provide a response, in collaboration with BASCD, on the publication of dental recovery plans for each of the four nations. 

Outcome: Shared agreement regarding the response has been achieved.

Target date: On publication 

Named lead: 

  • Lead responsibility : SIG Chair
  • Contribution responsibility: All SIG members

Progress to date: TBC

Outputs: Evidence of response.

Activity: Support and influence development of integrated care and/or similar systems across the four nations, in collaboration with BASCD.

Outcome: Meeting with Chief Dental Officers.

Target date: 31st March 2026

Named lead: Lead responsibility: SIG Chair and BASCD President(s)

Progress to date: TBC

Outputs: Outcome of meetings presented.

Activity: Describe places/teams/organisations needing dental public health input at national, regional and local levels across the UK.

Outcome: A completed mapping exercise

Target date: 31st March 2026

Named lead: The OHI SIG will be informed by the BASCD Consultants and Specialist Group who are leading on this action.

Progress to date: TBC

Outputs: Outcome of the mapping exercise can be presented. 

Activity: Work in collaboration with other relevant organisations on key oral health improvement activities. 

Outcome: Evidence of collaboration working with other relevant organisations. 

Target date: Ongoing 

Named lead: 

  • Lead responsibility : SIG Chair
  • Contribution responsibility: All SIG members

Progress to date: Information relating to the launch of the national targeted toothbrushing programme in England, DHSC collaboration with Colgate and the expansion of community water fluoridation across the North East of England circulated via BASCD and FPH comms. 

Outputs: Evidence of collaborative working.

Activity: Lead/coordinate advocacy for oral health for all including advocating for reduced sugar in foods and drinks and increased access to fluoride (supervised toothbrushing schemes, water fluoridation etc.)

Outcome:

  • A list of public facing oral health media opportunities which the SIG/FPH/BASCD could engage with, e.g., national smile month.
  • Key oral health messages in relation to diet/smoking/alcohol/
    dysphagia etc are displayed on the SIG/BASCD OHI webpage and updated yearly.
  • Webinars/masterclasses are undertaken in partnership with other relevant FPH SIGs

Target date: Ongoing

Named lead: SIG Chair

Progress to date: TBC

Outputs: BASCD website linked to the FPH OHI SIG webpage.

Become a Member

Become a Member

FPH is the professional home for public health in the UK and abroad. We support around 6,000 members in 79 countries across all career stages enabling them to drive the profession forward and achieve our vision of improving public health.

More details