The University of Salford has been commissioned by the FDI World Dental Federation and Unilever Oral Care to lead a major evaluation of their public-private partnership to improve oral health across 38 countries.

The research will see academics from the University's Faculty of Health & Social Care assessing the success of the Live, Learn, Laugh programme – a partnership between the FDI and Unilever to raise awareness of oral health across the world.

Launched in August 2005, there are now 42 national dental associations from 38 countries participating. The individual programmes include educational resources for school children, the provision of toothbrushes, and free dental treatment.

Professor Cynthia Pine and Dr Lindsey Dugdill will be visiting Kenya, Poland, Indonesia, Nigeria and the Philippines to determine whether the programme is achieving its aims – which range from providing care for abandoned children in Nairobi to training teachers and nurses to deliver hand and mouth hygiene programmes in schools in Jakarta.

The study will use qualitative and quantitative research methods to assess whether people's behaviour is changing as a result of the programme, and whether awareness of oral health is being raised across the globe.

Professor Cynthia Pine said, 'In many developing countries there is very limited access to dental care and simple problems can become life-threatening infections. Prevention is critical as is establishing a hygiene routine.'