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Lookup NU author(s): Kiska Wilson, Emerita Professor Paula Waterhouse, Professor Ruth ValentineORCiD, Helen RogersORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2026 The Author(s). International Journal of Dental Hygiene published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Background: Dietary analysis and advice are key components in the prevention of dental caries. Previous research undertaken at Newcastle University highlighted a lack of cultural competence in dietary advice delivery amongst undergraduate dental and hygiene and therapy students. Aim: To co-create, comprehensive educational with students resources to improve dental and hygiene and therapy students' competence in delivering dietary advice to families from a range of cultural backgrounds. Method: Five dental/hygiene and therapy students from diverse cultural backgrounds were employed as student co-creators. Each co-creator was assigned a cultural area of interest and supported to develop a sustainable educational resource that could aid their peers to deliver dietary advice to families from that background. Following this, an evaluation interview was conducted with each co-creator to gain insight into their experience of the process. Results: Co-creators held focus groups with fellow students to identify key foods and drinks consumed within their assigned region, and categorised these into groups based on their sugar content, using a traffic light system. The students used varied approaches to present their resource to their peers. Together, the co-creators developed a ‘diet dictionary’ that students could refer to in a clinical setting if they encountered a food/drink with which they were unfamiliar. Co-creators valued the experience of contributing to teaching in this way and felt they had developed beneficial skills. Conclusion: Co-creation provided a novel approach to tackle this pedagogical challenge, culminating in the production of sustainable educational resources to improve cultural competence in dietary advice delivery within dental teaching clinics.
Author(s): Wilson K, Turki H, Showala H, Hodgson L, Bowerbank M, Mitchell P, Waterhouse PJ, Valentine RA, Rogers HJ
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: International Journal of Dental Hygiene
Year: 2026
Pages: Epub ahead of print
Online publication date: 12/05/2026
Acceptance date: 28/04/2026
Date deposited: 26/05/2026
ISSN (print): 1601-5029
ISSN (electronic): 1601-5037
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Inc.
URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/idh.70092
DOI: 10.1111/idh.70092
Data Access Statement: Data are available upon reasonable request from the authors.
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