A large collaboration led by Dr Richard Holliday (pictured) and Professor Elaine McColl from Newcastle University has received a major funding award from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

The ENHANCE-D Study (ENHANCing smoking cEssation interventions in Dentistry) has been awarded combined research and NHS costs of £2.8 million. The study will evaluate the impact of primary care dental professionals providing 'in house' enhanced smoking cessation interventions such as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or e-cigarettes on both quit rates and oral health parameters.

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Dr Richard Holliday, who is leading the ENHANCE-D Study with Professor Elaine McColl

The study was designed through a co-production approach which involved a wide range of dental professionals and patients. The study plans to recruit 1,460 participants across 56 dental practices in seven research regions (Newcastle, Dundee, Sheffield, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Plymouth). Each dental practice will identify two staff members (any member of the dental team) to receive training on the interventions and will be reimbursed for taking part in the research. Novel to this trial will be the use of dental therapists and dental hygienists as principal investigators ('leads') at some dental practices. Participant recruitment is anticipated to start in the second half of 2021 and the study will run for four years. Additionally, biological samples (plaque and epithelial cells) will be collected for future analysis and an economic and qualitative evaluation will be completed.

Research hubs: Newcastle (Dr Richard Holliday), Dundee (Prof. Jan Clarkson), Sheffield (Prof. Zoe Marshman and Dr Claire Storey), Birmingham (Dr Praveen Sharma), Glasgow (Dr Shauna Culshaw and Prof. David Conway), Edinburgh (Prof. Angus Walls) and Plymouth (Mr Timothy O'Brien).

For information on the study visit: https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/programmes/hta/NIHR129780. To express an interest in taking part visit: https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/northerndentres/currentprojects/enhance-d-study-expression-of-interest/.

This study is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) [Health Technology Assessment (NIHR129780)]. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.