Integrating Dietitians Into Primary Dental Care for Paediatric Populations: Developing a Conceptual Service Pathway Through a Professional Stakeholder Workshop

Abstract

Background

Diet is a common risk factor influencing both oral and systemic health, yet dietary support within dental care is often limited to brief advice focused on sugar intake. Integrating dietitians into primary dental care for the paediatric population may support earlier identification of dietary concerns and provide the opportunity for dietetic care. However, no established integrated dietetic-dental service pathway for paediatric populations has been identified within primary dental care settings in the United Kingdom.

Objective

To explore how selected full-consensus agreement statements could be configured into a conceptual dietetic-dental service pathway for paediatric populations attending primary dental care services and to identify the organisational and contextual factors that may influence its future delivery in practice.

Methods

A single 70-min online workshop was conducted via video conferencing in April 2026 and facilitated using a structured discussion guide. Workshop activities focused on collaborative service pathway mapping informed by previous Delphi consensus findings. Data sources included a workshop transcript, digital sticky-note outputs, pathway mapping artefacts, facilitator notes and analysed using framework analysis. Subsequent member checking was undertaken to verify the accuracy and completeness of the developed care pathway.

Results

Eight professional participants (four dietitians and four dental professionals) contributed to the development of a conceptual service pathway. The pathway centred on dietitian-led triage as a central coordinating mechanism, supporting referral management, communication and continuity across services. Workshop outputs highlighted a range of contextual factors that may influence future delivery, including patient engagement, professional roles and system readiness. Key uncertainties related to workforce configuration, escalation pathways and the capacity of external services to accommodate potential referrals generated through preventive dietary care.

Conclusion

The findings represent an early stage conceptual dietetic-dental service pathway for paediatric populations, requiring future piloting and evaluation. Contextual factors suggest that delivering the care pathway may require adaptive approaches that are responsive to local workforce organisational and population contexts.