A practical guide to public involvement with children and young people in dental research

Public involvement (PI) in health research is an umbrella term which describes the process by which research is undertaken ‘with'' or ‘by'' people rather than ‘to'', ‘about'' or ‘for'' them. The United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child provides children and young people (CYP) with a comprehensive set of human rights. In line with Article 12, every child has a right to express their views in all matters which may affect them. Additionally, there has been increased expectation from funders for PI to be demonstrated as part of research. While PI encompasses all activities which aim to involve CYP, they can be categorised into different levels, including consultation, collaboration and user-led. CYP can be involved in many different aspects of research, from research question identification, research design and dissemination. Despite this, there may be challenges to delivering PI, such as funding and time. Using the basic principles outlined in this paper, there is opportunity for involvement of CYP in a range of settings to produce meaningful involvement with CYP.