Journey towards a dental career: the career decision-making journey and perceived obstacles to studying dentistry identified by London's secondary school pupils and teachers.

Objective To explore the career decision-making journey towards dentistry and identify possible challenges and supports in this process as perceived by academically able, science-minded, London school pupils and their careers teachers.Methods A mixed-methods study was conducted using a purposive sample of London schools. Focus groups (n = 13) with 91 pupils aged 14-18 years and a survey of career teachers (n = 12) were conducted at a range of school-types.

Oral Health and Community Nursing: a Practical Guide to the Delivering Better Oral Health Toolkit for Adults.

Despite being largely preventable, oral diseases are the major contributor to chronic conditions nationally and globally. If left untreated, oral diseases have many harmful effects throughout life on our patients including pain and infection, and can lead to difficulties with eating, sleeping, socialising and wellbeing. Oral health inequalities exist across our population, and particularly affect vulnerable, disadvantaged and socially excluded groups in society.

Dentistry as a professional career: the views of London's secondary school pupils (2011-2017).

Aim To explore young people's perceptions of dentistry as a potential future career, including features which would attract or deter them from wanting to become dentists and the perceived influences on these views.Methods Purposive sampling of London schools was undertaken. Exploration of academically-able, science-minded young people's (aged 14-18 years) perceptions of dentistry as a potential career was achieved through a series of focus groups conducted at various types of school in the Greater London region (13 focus groups and 91 students).

Embarking on a professional career: social advantage in dentistry and medicine. UK dental and medical student applications and admissions, 1996-2011.

Objectives The objectives of this research were to compare trends in applications and admissions to dentistry and medicine by sociodemographic status, country/region, academic experience and attainment, for UK domiciled students, and also to compare the odds of gaining admission to each course.Methods Secondary analysis of student data from University and College Admissions Services (UCAS) for focused, successful, UK domiciled applicants whose preferred subject was medicine or dentistry from 1996-2011. Trends for both programmes were examined using univariate and multivariate analysis including logistic regression, both with and without tariff scores.

Do high tuition fees make a difference? Characteristics of applicants to UK medical and dental schools before and after the introduction of high tuition fees in 2012.

Aim To compare trends in the volume, socio-demography and academic experience of UK applicants and entrants to medicine and dentistry in the UK with university in general, before and after the major increase in university fees in England in 2012.Methods Descriptive trend analyses of University and College Admissions Services (UCAS) data for focused (preferred subject was medicine or dentistry) and accepted applicants, 2010-14, compared with university in general in relation to socio-demography (age, sex, ethnicity, POLAR 2, region) and academic experience (school type). POLAR2 data provide an indication of the likelihood of young people in the area participating in further or higher education.