Samantha Watt

BDS, MPH, MFDS (RCS Eng)

School of Clinical Dentistry

Academic Clinical Fellow in Dental Public Health

samantha.watt@sheffield.ac.uk

Profile

I graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2017 and then worked in general dental practice, dental hospital and community dental service settings. During this time I obtained Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons and a Masters in Public Health from the University of Bristol.

Following a competitive recruitment process I secured a position as an Academic Clinical Fellow and began specialty training in Dental Public Health in September 2022.

Research interests

I have a keen interest in children’s oral health and reducing oral health inequalities. In 2022, I joined the NIHR-funded BRUSH study (optimising toothBrushing pRogrammes in nUrseries and ScHools). I received a pump priming grant from the Faculty of Dental Surgery Royal College of Surgeons to undertake research of the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages in children and young people attending dental practices.

I was an editor of the Atlas of Health Variation in Head and Neck Cancer, a national report published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID). This work highlighted the stark inequalities in head and neck cancer nationally and has called for action locally, regionally and nationally to reduce inequalities. I was also a contributing academic to the Northern Eight Universities ‘Child of the North’ report, an evidence-based report aimed at improving children’s oral health.

Publications

Journal articles

Watt S & Marshman Z (2025) The ‘sugar tax' seven years on. British Dental Journal, 238(8), 638-639.
Gray‐Burrows KA, El‐Yousfi S, Hudson K, Watt S, Lloyd E, El Shuwihdi H, Broomhead T, Day PF & Marshman Z (2025) Supervised toothbrushing programmes: understanding barriers and facilitators to implementation. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology. View this article in WRRO
Broomhead T, Watt S, El-Yousfi S, Gray-Burrows KA, El Shuwihdi H, Hudson K, Day PF & Marshman Z (2025) Supervised toothbrushing programmes in England: a national survey of current provision and factors influencing their implementation. British Dental Journal. View this article in WRRO
Watt S, Dyer TA, Marshman Z & Jones K (2024) Does poor oral health impact on young children's development? A rapid review. British Dental Journal, 237(4), 255-260. View this article in WRRO
Watt S (2024) What is the impact of the UK soft drinks industry levy on childhood tooth decay?. Evidence-Based Dentistry, 25(2), 91-92. View this article in WRRO
Yousfi SE, Watt S, Marshman Z, Day P, Hudson K, Lloyd E & Gray-Burrows K (2024) Exploring barriers and facilitators to supervised toothbrushing programmes in England. Community Dental Health, 41(2_suppl), s11-s11. View this article in WRRO
Watt S, A. Dyer T & Marshman Z (2023) Are teenagers ‘drowning' in sports and energy drinks? The need for upstream and downstream interventions. British Dental Journal, 235(10), 779-781.
El-Yousfi S, Marshman Z, Albers PN, Watt S, Kipping R & Williams JG (2022) Health visiting teams and children’s oral health: a scoping review. BMC Oral Health, 22. View this article in WRRO
Watt SB & Marshman Z (2022) Can motivational interviewing help prevent dental caries in secondary school children?. Evidence-Based Dentistry, 23(2), 56-57. View this article in WRRO

Grants: Lead applicant and investigator: Consumption of sugar sweetened beverages in children and young people attending dental practices. (Faculty of Dental Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons)

Teaching interests: To date I have been involved in delivering teaching, supervision and assessment of undergraduate and post-graduate students on a range of Dental Public Health topics. I have utilised different formats for teaching including small group seminars, online and face-to-face lectures and podcasts.