Recruiting Dental Practices for Research: Insights from a Practice-Based Trial in Germany

Area of Science:

• Dental Research
• Implementation Science
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Practice-based research trials are uncommon in dentistry, despite their importance for implementation research.
• Understanding recruitment challenges for dental professionals in practice-based trials is critical.
• This study explores opportunities and challenges in recruiting dental practices for a large-scale trial in Germany.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key learnings regarding the recruitment of dental practices.
• To analyze opportunities and challenges in a large-scale German practice-based trial.
• To inform strategies for improving dental practice participation in research.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative data.
• Analysis of dental practice participation rates and researcher experiences.
• Thematic analysis of qualitative data on participation drivers and barriers.

Main Results:

• Low participation rates: 4.2% expressed interest, 2.3% participated out of 6,840 invited practices.
• Staff shortages and time constraints were key reasons for nonparticipation.
• Lack of established practice-based research networks in dentistry was identified.

Conclusions:

• Significant barriers exist for recruiting dental practices into research.
• Increasing participation rates is vital for operationalizing practice-based research in dentistry.
• Strengthening practice-based research networks can enhance implementation-oriented dental research.