Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Systematic Approach to Identify Novel Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Molecules from Plants' Extracts and Fractions to Prevent Dental Caries
Published on: March 31, 2021
Exploring factors that influence general dental practitioners when providing advice to help prevent caries in
A G Threlfall1, C M Hunt, K M Milsom
1Oral Health Unit, National Primary Care R&D Centre, School of Dentistry, University of Manchester, Higher Cambridge Street, Manchester, UK.
Objective:
To increase understanding about how and to whom general dental practitioners provide preventive advice to reduce caries in young children.
Design:
Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews.
Setting:
The North West of England. Interviews took place between March and September 2003.
Subjects And Methods:
Ninety-three general dental practitioners practising within the general dental service were interviewed about the care they provide to young children. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using a constant comparative method.
Results:
Children with caries were more likely to be questioned about diet and oral hygiene and if dentists believed parents to be motivated they were more inclined to spend time providing advice. Most dentists seemed to believe that education was the key to preventing caries and gave preventive advice in the form of a short educative talk. There was little use of visual aids or material for parents to take home.
Conclusion:
Preventive advice is given in an ad hoc way with no formal targeting. Most dentists deliver preventive advice as a short educative talk with no props or additional materials. Use of visual aids, providing materials for parents to take home and greater emphasis on partnership might help improve the impact of advice.
Related Concept Videos
Preventive Healthcare Services
Teeth
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin and...
Tooth Anatomy
The Crown, Neck, and Root
The visible part of the tooth is referred to as the crown. It's covered by enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. The crown is uniquely shaped for each type of tooth, allowing for different functions such as cutting, tearing, or grinding food.
Urinary Tract Calculi IV: Nutrition Therapy and Prevention
The Oral Microbiota
Development of the Oral Microbiota

