Have you ever wondered who decides which dental topics should be research or felt that you could offer suggestions on where research is needed - areas that affect your everyday work as a dentist or DCP? Well, now you have the opportunity to directly influence the research agenda.

This website has been developed to collect research questions with direct relevance to primary dental care. This website, set-up by the Shirley Glasstone Hughes Trust Fund, provides an exciting new opportunity for dentists and DCPs to raise questions and make suggestions for research. So we need to get you involved.

So go to the voting section and see what questions are currently being proposed. We are especially interested in all of you submitting your own suggestions to be included in the vote.

The voting software is really easy to use and you will be able to see immediately the difference your vote makes. To vote for a question you think needs to be answered click on the green "promote" button. To vote against a question click on the red "demote" button. You can vote on as many questions as you wish but you will only be able to vote once per question.

At the end of each month, the most popular subject will be selected for a critical appraisal of the relevant literature and results published on this website.

The first question of the month was voted for at the beginning of September and the question Why is access to dental care for frail elderly persons worse than for other groups? received the most votes. The appraisal was undertaken this month and a summary statement drawing conclusions from the published evidence will be posted on the website in October.

There will be 9 rapid reviews on the top questions as voted for by you. These reviews will be carried out monthly with the exception of  in December and April, so please make the most of this opportunity.

In December this year, we hope to have identified popular questions where original research is needed. A call for research bids will be advertised in the BDJ and the Health Services Research Journal, as well as on this website.

Thank you all for your involvement so far!