Dr K Wanyonyi, Prof Dylan Jones, Prof C Louca, Prof Djamila Ouelhadj
No more applications being accepted
Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
Oral conditions affect 3.9 billion people (1), yet dental diseases are preventable (2). Tooth decay remains one of the most common diseases of childhood. There are recommendations to prevent dental disease in children such us twice a year application of fluoride varnish. Wanyonyi et al., 2015, modelled scenarios which tested how delegation of prevention to dental care professionals could potentially increase evidence based practice in state funded dental care. However, a more encompassing model that also includes health outcomes and cost-effectiveness has been proposed as a follow-up to that modelling exercise. This is the subject of this project.
The aim of this project is to utilise operational research and health economics to outline an efficient model that considers patient risk factors, evidence based practice, workforce, treatment demand and cost- effectiveness. Health economics techniques such as data envelopment analysis have been used to consider technical efficiency in dentistry (3). This project will employ mixed method research and operational research techniques to model an efficient evidenced-based state funded dental service. A combination of the operational research techniques and operational modelling techniques will be used to measure efficiency, analytical hierarchy processes to elicit stakeholder preferences, and extended goal programming to suggest improvements and investigate regional and stakeholder disparities will be used.
This body of work will address the question of what improvements need to be made in order to bring the inefficient practices in evidence based dental care to an efficient level, and what is the most cost effective way of doing so.
Candidate specification:
The successful candidate should have a good first degree and/or Master’s in a social science or a master’s in public health/ health economics/ operational research or the equivalent. Whilst the ability to work independently will be essential, the candidate will be embedded within a team at the University of Portsmouth Dental Academy and will also work closely with staff from the Department of Mathematics.
How to apply:
We welcome applications from highly motivated prospective students who are committed to develop outstanding research outcomes. You can apply online at www.port.ac.uk/applyonline. Please quote project code UPDA4050218 in your application form.
Funding Notes
The fully-funded, full-time three-year studentship provides a stipend that is in line with that offered by Research Councils UK of £14,777 per annum.
References
1. Marcenes W, Kassebaum NJ, Bernabé E, Flaxman A, Naghavi M, Lopez A, et al. Global Burden of Oral Conditions in 1990-2010. Journal of Dental Research. 2013;92(7):592-7. PubMed PMID: 23720570.
2. Petersen P, E,. World Health Organization global policy for improvement of oral health-World Health Assembly 2007. International Dental Journal. 2008;58:115-21.
3. Hill H, Birch S, Tickle M, McDonald R, Brocklehurst P. The technical efficiency of oral healthcare provision: Evaluating role substitution in National Health Service dental practices in England. Community dentistry and oral epidemiology. 2017;45(4):310-6.
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