Clinical Epidemiology and Dental Public Health

The Clinical Epidemiology and Dental Public Health group investigates trends and patterns of oral disease and conditions and their determinants at population level and the efficacy of interventions, services and public health interventions. The group collaborates with international investigators and is developing workstreams for oral cancer and oral health in Low and Middle income Countries. Established research programmes focus on the epidemiology of periodontal disease and its association with systemic health outcomes, and the effectiveness of interventions to improve outcomes in oral surgery through clinical trials.

Group Leads

John Morris 8

John Morris

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Vahid Rava

Vahid Ravaghi

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Kirsty Hill

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Thomas Dietrich

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Our research group

Trends and patterns in child dental health with a particular focus on inequalities.

Evaluation of dental services and population interventions to improve oral health with a particular focus on addressing inequalities.

Changing incidence and patterns in oral cancer in England with a focus on informing changes in risk factors and factors contributing to presentation with advanced disease.

Effectiveness of preventive interventions for high-risk children receiving hospital based care for dental caries.

Efficacy and effectiveness of interventions to reduce acute postoperative pain and surgical morbidity

Current projects

  • Adult Dental Health Survey 2021 (with NatCen, ONS, PHE and consortium of dental schools in England).
  • Oral cancer epidemiology in England (with PHE)
  • Impact of community water fluoridation (with PHE)
  • Evaluation of NHS Starting Well (with PHE and NHSE&I – PhD project)
  • Inequalties in access to orthodontic care (PhD project)
  • Provision of child dental care in LMIC
  • Effectiveness of L-PRF to reduce postoperative morbidity in third molar surgery
  • Multi-centre cohort study on early implant failure and its determinants
  • Evaluation of minimally invasive exodontia and its applications
Development of novel methods for the design and analysis split-mouth trials in oral health research

Publications

Selected publications

Ravaghi V, Durkan C, Jones C, Girdler R, Mair-Jenkins J, Davies G, Wilcox D, Dermont M, White S, Dailey Y, Morris J.  Area-level deprivation and oral cancer in England; 2012-2016.  Cancer Epidemiology 2020;69 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.canep.2020.101840

Roberts DJ, Wood A, Verlander N, Morris J, Leonardi G, Fletcher T.  Use of public water supply fluoride concentration as an indicator of population exposure to fluoride in England 1995-2015.  Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 2020;192:514 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-08304-3

Simulation study of misclassification bias in association studies employing partial-mouth protocols. Heaton B, Garcia RI, Dietrich T. J Clin Periodontol. 2018 Sep;45(9):1034-1044. doi: 10.1111/jcpe.12979. Epub 2018 Aug 9.

Submucosal Diclofenac for Acute Postoperative Pain in Third Molar Surgery: A Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial. Gorecki P, Rainsford KD, Taneja P, Bulsara Y, Pearson D, Saund D, Ahmed B, Dietrich T. J Dent Res. 2018 Apr;97(4):381-387. doi: 10.1177/0022034517744207. Epub 2017 Dec 4.

Perioperative supplementation with a fruit and vegetable juice powder concentrate and postsurgical morbidity: A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Gorecki P, Burke DL, Chapple ILC, Hemming K, Saund D, Pearson D, Stahl W, Lello R, Dietrich T. Clin Nutr. 2018 Oct;37(5):1448-1455. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2017.08.004. Epub 2017 Aug 10.

Students

  • Candy Salomon-Ibarra
  • Mohamed Abughalia
  • Xiang Li
  • Zehra Yonel
  • Zinab Al-Hammadi