How Far Can You Go?

Calling all Dental Hygienists and Dental Therapists

At the Oral Health Conference in Glasgow on 27^th November, I will be presenting on the subject of sugar. At the moment we really have an opportunity to reflect and make health related changes.

During the current Covid-19 pandemic, as dental hygienists and dental therapists we have an opportunity to lead the way in behaviour change, learn something about our own health and potentially become healthier, which may benefit our patients when we return to clinical practice.

I am asking you to get involved in an action research project to try to stop consuming added sugar for up to 28 days. This is not a fail or succeed ‘challenge’ but just to see how far you can go and to see what you can learn from undertaking this activity. I believe that if many clinicians attempt to do this, the combined knowledge that we gain from it, could be really useful when trying to help change the behaviour of our patients.

So, this is what you have to do:

1. Send me an email to inform me that you want to do this.

2. When you have finished, please either send me a short video file via WeTransfer (my preferred option) or a written email to: [email protected] informing me:

• How many days you managed?
• What you learnt that might be useful to your patients?
• Why you think you got as far as you did?

From my previous experience, timing is everything, so I am giving you nearly 3 months with the closing date for starting the challenge the 1st of June and the project ending at the end of June. The data will be collated and formulate a paper for Dental Health and I will also incorporate the new knowledge during my presentation at the OHC.

For those of you planning to attend the OHC, it would be great if you could contribute to the data of my actual presentation.

Many thanks for considering this and I hope to hear from you.