Sharing the learning from the RETURN programme has been a core part of the project.
Alongside peer-reviewed publications, we have prioritised approaches that make the findings accessible and useful to those involved in delivering, commissioning, and using dental services.
This section describes how evidence from RETURN has been shared with dental teams, commissioners, policymakers, researchers, and members of the public, and how feedback from these activities has informed interpretation and future use of the intervention.
Dissemination event: sharing RETURN findings
In May 2025, we held a dissemination event in Liverpool to share findings from RETURN with over 100 stakeholders, including dental professionals, commissioners, policy makers at the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, researchers, and members of the public. Dr Jason Wong, Chief Dental Officer of England provided a keynote address emphasising the importance of research in informing policy.
The event:
- Gave an overview of the RETURN intervention and how it was developed
- Presented the RETURN trial and health economic findings
- Situated the results within service realities
- Created space for discussion about implementation and relevance to practice
The event included a discussion panel involving national dental sector leaders Jason Wong (Chief Dental Officer, England), Eddie Crouch (Chair, British Dental Association), Neil Carmichael (Chief Executive, Association of Dental Groups), Zoe Marshan (Professor of Dental Public Health, University of Sheffield), Irene Soulsby (Public Involvement Advisor, Newcastle), Fiona Ellwood (Executive Director, Society of British Dental Nurses).
Neil Carmichael said: ‘This was an excellent discussion and an illustration on how modern dentistry can develop.’
Fiona Ellwood said: ‘Excellent work. Ensuring the wider team featured was so well received.’
Irene Soulsby, a Patient and Public Advisor on research, North East England, reflects here on what she thought:
A recording of the presentations of trial findings can be accessed here (links below will take you to YouTube)
• Developing the RETURN intervention: Professor Rebecca Harris
• Implementation in NHS dentistry and training NHS dental nurses: Dr Victoria Lowers
• Trial Main Findings: Professor Rebecca Harris
• Health Economic Results: Dr Dan Howdon
Webinar: learning from the RETURN trial
In December 2025, we delivered an online webinar outlining the findings of the RETURN programme. Over 55 people from 9 countries including Australia, the USA, Canada, Algeria, Netherlands, Belgium, Lithuania, and Denmark.
A recording of the webinar is available below.
From dissemination to use
Dissemination activities have supported interest in RETURN beyond the research programme.
We have delivered training to dental nurses working for Hertfordshire Urgent Care (HUC) which is a healthcare service provider in the East of England specialising in Primary Care Services and Integrated Urgent Care.
“The training was helpful and reinforced the importance of calm communication and reassurance when supporting anxious patients.”
“One of the strengths of the project was its focus on rebuilding trust and reducing barriers for patients who may have delayed care.”
HUC Dental Nurses
We have also delivered online training for NHS England Workforce Training and Education in the Yorkshire and Humber area, for over 40 dental nurses and team members working in the Oral Health Champion programme in NHS dental practices.
We have also supported individual NHS dental practices to implement the intervention. Every NHS dental practice is different in terms of the type of patient, the layout of the building and the mix of staff in the practice. We are happy to help discuss how RETURN might be implemented in local circumstances.
RETURN events and webinars have led to dental services getting in touch to explore how the RETURN intervention might be used in their own contexts.
These conversations have shaped:
- the structure and content of this website
- the development of the online toolkit
- the design of the free training
If you would like to order hard copies of the RETURN intervention, please use the link below.
Interested in ordering RETURN resources or discussing further?
If you are a commissioner, service lead, or member of a dental team and would like to order the RETURN resources or to discuss the RETURN intervention, its evidence base, or how it might be used within your service, we welcome enquiries.
For further discussion, please contact:
Professor Rebecca Harris
Email: harrisrv@liverpool.ac.uk
You can explore the RETURN intervention and supporting resources directly through this website.