Acceptance amongst the public of weight screening and interventions delivered by dental professionals
60% of adults would support weight screening at a dental check-up (n=2055/3430) and 57% would find it acceptable to be offered weight management interventions by their dental team (n=1915/3375).
An observational study was conducted to explore the acceptability to the public of receiving weight screening (measuring height and weight), and the offer of support to lose weight, from dental teams. A total of 3580 adults were recruited across 22 dental sites (dental practices, community and hospitals) in England and the NIHR Be Part of Research initiative.
Males and participants of non-white ethnicity were nearly twice as likely to accept weight screening and support from their dental team than females and participants of white ethnicity.
84% adults agreed being provided with information on local weight management programmes (n=1989/2379) was the most acceptable way for their dental team to support them if they wanted to lose weight. Parents/carers expressed a stronger preference for their child(/ren) to be referred to their GP (n=448/672; 67%) by their dental team for support with weight loss.
Findings suggest that dental teams could offer information on local weight management services to adult patients who want to lose weight and that this could be acceptable to most adults. Workforce training and the development of protocols linking dental professionals in with other healthcare and weight management services is important to support discussions around weight in dental settings. Dentists and doctors working collaboratively to support the public with healthy lifestyles is also important given that parents/carers felt referral of their child to their GP for support with their weight was the most appropriate action for the dental team to take.
What next?
It is important for future research to explore the feasibility of dental teams integrating screening and support for weight loss within routine care for dental patients. Provision of information on local weight management programmes was the most acceptable form of support and, as such, should be incorporated into future intervention studies. Raising awareness of the interplay between oral and general health amongst the public may reduce uncertainties over the relevance of dental teams discussing weight and health.
Citation details
, , , . Acceptance among the public of weight screening and interventions delivered by dental professionals: observational study. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2024; 1-12. DOI:
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge Ms Julie Isherwood for assistance with data and thank all dental teams and participants for their contribution to the study.
Professor Amanda Daley is supported by a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Research Professorship award [NIHR300026]. This research was supported by the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
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