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 to share findings from RETURN with a broad range of stakeholders, including dental professionals, commissioners, researchers, and members of the public.
The event :
- Gave an overview of the RETURN intervention
- Presented the RETURN trial and economic findings
- Situated the results within service realities
- Created space for discussion about implementation and relevance to practice
Feedback highlighted the value of combining quantitative trial findings with patient perspectives and insights from real-world delivery. Attendees also emphasised the importance of practical access to materials and clear guidance for teams interested in trying RETURN in their own settings.
Learning from this event informed subsequent decisions to:
- develop an online version of RETURN (hard copies are also available to purchase)
- create free, accessible online training to support delivery
- provide clear information for services interested in implementation
Read about the event here
Read the dissemination paper here
Webinar: learning from the RETURN trial
To support wider access to the findings, we delivered an online webinar outlining the findings of the RETURN programme.
Questions and feedback from the webinar reinforced the need for:
- access to the RETURN resources for dental teams
- flexible training that fits within urgent dental care setting
A recording of the webinar is available below.
From dissemination to use
Dissemination activities have supported interest in RETURN beyond the research.
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 discussing RETURN?
If you are a commissioner, service lead, or member of a dental team and would like 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.