A study undertaken at the University of Liverpool, and presented at September's BSPD conference in Dundee, provided valuable insight into the Society's Dental Check by One campaign.

Emma Morgan, an undergraduate dental student at the time of the study and supervised by Senior Lecturer Laura Gartshore, carried out a survey of final year dental students’ awareness and preparedness for DCby1. She found that only 8% of responders were aware of DCby1.

The majority of dental students were willing to examine a child aged under 1 year, even if they haven't done so before, reinforcing the importance of transferable skills and student self-efficacy. However, they felt less prepared to provide breastfeeding and weaning advice which is imperative for the oral health of children who are at the heart of this campaign.

Emma, now working as a foundation dentist, won the BSPD's National Elective Certificate for her research, and Laura has introduced DCby1 into the Paediatric Dentistry curriculum at Liverpool. Work on this has already started with Emma Morgan being invited to be an undergraduate ambassador for DCby1 and there are plans for the research to continue at the University of Liverpool, School of Dentistry in the coming year.