A new report from the Dental Schools Council (DSC) has set out a roadmap aimed at reversing the decline in the UK’s dental academic workforce, emphasising that research capacity is critical to tackling oral health inequalities and changing population needs.

Published by the DSC’s oral and dental health clinical researcher task and finish group, the report warns that largely preventable tooth decay is resurging and oral health inequalities persist, with poor oral health contributing to more than 15 million lost school days among children each year.

It says strong research capacity is essential to identifying effective prevention strategies, improving service delivery and ensuring future care is sustainable.

The report – called Clinical researchers in the UK: Building capacity to improve population health and promote economic growth – commits to coordinated action from universities, healthcare organisations, research funders, professional bodies and governments across the four UK nations.

According to the report, the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) dental clinical academic posts fell from 435 in 2005 to 360 in 2025, and the workforce is ageing, with more than twice as many aged over 55 (28%) as under 36 (12%).

The DSC warns this decline is also affecting the pipeline of educators, threatening the ability to recruit and train more dental students.

The report sets a target of restoring at least 75 FTE research-active posts over the next five years, backed by better workforce data collection, career development support and research training opportunities.

Several barriers to entering clinical academia are also identified in the report, including increasing service and financial pressures across higher education and health systems, insecure early-career posts and difficulty accessing research opportunities early in professional training.

To address these challenges, the roadmap focuses on the three priorities of:

  • creating more flexible and accessible clinical academic career pathways;
  • strengthening leadership and mentoring for emerging researchers; and
  • improving employment conditions and pay parity for clinical academics.

The DSC also calls for wider research opportunities for dental care professionals and primary care dentists, who are significantly underrepresented in research despite their large numbers in the wider oral health workforce.

It cites limited role models and a lack of well-designed, relevant research posts as barriers for hygienists, therapists, dental nurses and primary care dentists.

The report is the third in a series commissioned by the Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research (OSCHR) on rebuilding the country’s health research workforce.

According to the DSC, stakeholders will work ‘collectively’ to implement the recommendations, with progress overseen by a dedicated taskforce and reviewed by the OSCHR over the next five years.

Dr Katie Petty-Saphon, DSC chief executive, said: ‘By creating more flexible career pathways, strengthening support for researchers and widening opportunities for dental care professionals and practitioners working in primary care, we can build a more sustainable and inclusive research workforce that is better equipped to meet the needs of patients and communities.’