Oral health survey of five-year-olds 2014/15: Have strategies for increasing the levels of parental consent in Bradford been effective?

Abstract: Public Health England facilitates national epidemiological surveys of five-year-olds to monitor oral health, both locally and nationally. Positive consent for participation in surveys such as these was introduced in 2006 following guidance from the Department of Health. Following this change, consent rates have fallen slightly. Bradford, a city in West Yorkshire in the north of England, has actively tried to encourage an increase in consent rates. In the 2014/15 survey several measures were implemented to encourage parents to return their consent forms in order to increase consent levels. Despite these additional measures consent rates have continued to fall. The schools involved in both the current (2014/15) and previous (2011/12) surveys were directly compared and the results showed a 4% decrease in consent returns. Consequently, recommendations have been made to investigate alternative strategies for increasing levels of survey participation. One of the suggested strategies is to gain consent for all health screening including dental examinations at school entry.