How can Family Hubs promote better oral health for children and families, especially those facing multiple disadvantage?
Joint event with Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Gateshead
Study findings and recommendations workshop
Wednesday 4 March 2026, 10am – 2pm (lunch provided)
In person – The Core, Newcastle Helix, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5TF
Now updated with venue location and programme.
About the research
Oral diseases are preventable. Problems such as pain, missing or decayed teeth and gum disease adversely affect overall health, self‐esteem, mental wellbeing and employability. These oral health issues are more common in deprived areas such as North East England, particularly affecting those living with poverty, low education, job insecurity and poor housing. Stark inequalities in oral health are seen early in childhood and persist across people’s lives. Oral diseases are strongly linked to diets high in sugar, poor oral hygiene, smoking and alcohol. Families and children in deprived areas, such as parts of North East England, are at much greater risk of unhealthy behaviours and environments. Early life is a critical window of opportunity for prevention of oral diseases: intervening at the family level to support good oral hygiene, reduce sugar consumption and build skills around oral health is essential to preventing a lifetime of poor dental outcomes. The government-established Family Hubs provide a promising setting. They offer support to pregnant people and families with children up to age 19 (or 25 with special needs/disability) and are ideally placed to integrate family-centred health promotion in communities most affected by deprivation. This study explores the potential of Family Hubs in the North East of England as a setting for promoting better oral health for children and families, especially those facing multiple disadvantage.
About the workshop
This workshop will bring together stakeholders, including public members, to review and discuss key findings from this research study and then, through a collaborative process, co-develop practical recommendations for oral‐health promotion through Family Hubs in the North East region and beyond. Specifically, the objectives are to:
- Present and reflect on the study’s findings regarding the oral health needs of children and families in deprived communities, and the role of Family Hubs.
- Facilitate a participative dialogue among practitioners, lived‐experience representatives, clinicians, researchers, commissioners and people from voluntary sector to interpret the implications of the findings.
- Co-design actionable recommendations and potential next‐steps for policy, practice, service design and research – focusing on the Family Hub setting and the region.
- Strengthen networking and cross‐sector collaboration among attendees from the North East and nationally who share an interest in improving oral health.
Who should attend?
We welcome parents, health and care practitioners, NHS clinicians, researchers and academics, health and social care service providers, commissioners and managers, and voluntary sector organisation staff. The event is aimed at the North East region and nationally. There is opportunity for networking with colleagues and peers who have an interest in promoting health in children, young people and families.
Published: February 22