The RETURN project has generated a coherent programme of peer-reviewed research that underpins the development, delivery, and evaluation of the intervention.
These publications document how RETURN was shaped by patient experiences, informed by theory, tested in real-world dental settings, and evaluated through a large randomised controlled trial.
Together, they provide transparency about the research process and the evidence base that supports the RETURN intervention.
Understanding urgent dental care visits
This publication explores why and how people seek urgent dental care, drawing on interviews and observational research conducted in dental hospital and primary care settings. It identifies key barriers to routine dental visiting and provides insight into the circumstances that lead people to rely on urgent care services.
This work informed the early development of the RETURN intervention by grounding it in lived experience.
Published in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology
Developing the RETURN intervention
This publication describes how the RETURN intervention was developed and refined using patient insights, behaviour change theory, and feedback from community members. It outlines the iterative process used to ensure the materials were acceptable, meaningful, and feasible for use in everyday dental practice.
This paper explains how evidence and involvement were combined to shape the intervention content.
Published in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology.
The RETURN feasibility study
This publication reports findings from the feasibility study that tested whether RETURN could be delivered by dental nurses during urgent dental care appointments. Although recruitment was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the study provided valuable insights into recruitment processes, intervention delivery, data collection, and refinement of study procedures.
These findings informed the design of the main trial.
Published in BMC Oral Health
The RETURN trial protocol
This publication sets out the design of the RETURN randomised controlled trial, including details of the intervention, study methods, outcome measures, and planned analyses. It provides transparency about how the intervention was evaluated and supports interpretation of the trial findings.
Published in Trials
Improving implementation in dental practices
This publication focuses on the practical strategies developed to support dental teams to deliver the RETURN intervention in real-world settings. It explores implementation challenges and solutions, with a particular focus on feasibility, fidelity, and sustainability in routine dental practice.
This work supports wider adoption and scale-up of the intervention.
Published in BMC Primary Care
Patient and public involvement in the RETURN project
This publication describes the approach to patient and public involvement and engagement used throughout the RETURN project, from early development through to delivery and dissemination. It outlines how community engagement and partnership working shaped the intervention materials, study design, and implementation.
The paper provides learning for researchers and commissioners interested in meaningful and inclusive approaches to patient and public involvement in health research.
Published in Research Involvement and Engagement
The RETURN randomised controlled trial
This publication reports the main findings from the RETURN randomised controlled trial. It evaluates whether a brief, nurse-delivered behavioural intervention provided during urgent dental care appointments supports patients to return to routine dental care.
The paper presents quantitative outcomes over an 18-month follow-up period, including routine dental attendance, oral health-related quality of life, and dental anxiety, and discusses the findings in the context of real-world service constraints.
Published in Journal of Dental Research
Exploring patient experiences of RETURN
This publication presents findings from interviews conducted with participants during the randomised controlled trial. It explores how patients experienced the RETURN intervention over time, why it worked for some people, and how it influenced attitudes and behaviours around dental visiting.
The findings provide important insight into the mechanisms underpinning the trial results and help explain how behavioural support at the point of urgent care can support longer-term change.
Published in [Journal name]
Health economic evaluation of the RETURN intervention
This publication examines the economic implications of delivering the RETURN intervention within urgent dental care settings. It explores costs associated with intervention delivery and considers the potential value of behavioural support aimed at reducing reliance on urgent care and supporting preventive dental visiting.
The findings contribute to understanding the affordability and potential value for money of RETURN when considered alongside wider system pressures.
Published in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology.
Together, these publications provide a comprehensive account of how RETURN was developed, tested, implemented, and evaluated, and offer evidence to support informed decisions about its use in practice and commissioning contexts.
You can explore the RETURN intervention and supporting resources directly through this website.