Achieving consensus on priorities for future behavioural and social research into social inequalities—Results of polling attendees at the BEHSR/IADR Summit on Behavioral and Social Oral Health Sciences

Abstract

To explore the priority given by researchers working in the field of behavioural, epidemiological and health services research to key aspects of research in oral health and inequalities. Survey of registrants at the Behavioural Epidemiological and Health Services Research group of the International Association for Dental Research (BEHSR/IADR) Summit October 2020. The highest ranking for priority was given to 'Testing interventions to reducing oral health inequalities', and within this area to the exploration of public health approaches to reducing such disparities. Lower ranking priorities included 'Describing inequalities within countries' and 'Describing the mechanisms by which inequality produces poor health'. Registrants at the (BEHSR/IADR) Summit October 2020 gave priority to testing interventions which will seek to reduce oral health inequalities, particularly through public health approaches such as creating policy change and community level interventions. Epidemiological research describing inequalities within countries was given a lower priority.