C3 Collaborating for Health: Type 2 Diabetes Prevention

Poor oral health and type 2 diabetes are closely linked, yet oral health is rarely addressed in routine diabetes care. Funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing, this C3 Collaborating for Health project explored how nurses can play a vital role in bridging that gap. Through evidence, education and collaboration, the project showed how simple, practical actions can embed oral health into diabetes prevention and improve outcomes across the life course.

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is one of the fastest growing health challenges in the UK. While much attention is given to diet, weight and physical activity, one critical factor is often overlooked: oral health. The evidence shows a clear, bi-directional relationship between diabetes and oral health. Poor oral health, particularly gum disease, can make blood glucose control harder, while diabetes increases the risk of oral disease. Yet oral health is still rarely addressed as part of routine diabetes prevention and care.

Funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing, C3 Collaborating for Health’s Diabetes and Oral Health project set out to address this gap by focusing on the unique role of nurses. As the largest and most trusted healthcare workforce, nurses are ideally placed to raise awareness, ask simple questions and support early intervention.

The ten-month project aimed to:

• Increase nurses’ awareness and understanding of the two-way relationship between diabetes and oral health
• Explore how nurses can confidently address oral health without needing to be dental specialists
• Co-produce practical recommendations to embed oral health into diabetes prevention and care
• Influence policy, education and system-level change

At its core was a simple message: bring the mouth back into the body. Oral health should be treated as part of whole-person care, not as a separate or optional extra.

The project brought together research, education and collaboration. A literature review confirmed the strength of the evidence linking diabetes and periodontal disease, as well as shared risk factors such as diet, smoking and health inequalities.

C3 worked with Learn With Nurses and the Commonwealth Nurses and Midwives Federation to deliver a series of eight online training sessions. These reached more than 400 nurses and healthcare professionals across a range of settings. The sessions focused on practical knowledge, brief interventions and real-world application. Evaluation showed a significant increase in participants’ confidence and understanding, with the majority reporting they were likely to use what they had learned in practice.

Alongside training, C3 convened a national roundtable bringing together nurses, professional bodies, academics and policy experts. Discussions explored how oral health could be better embedded into routine diabetes care, nursing education and health systems. A strong theme emerged: nurses should feel confident to ask questions and signpost appropriately, without feeling they must have all the answers.

The project produced a set of clear, co-produced recommendations. These include embedding oral health into NHS Health Checks, integrating oral health across nursing curricula rather than as a standalone topic, and providing brief, accessible training that fits into busy clinical roles.

This project shows that improving diabetes outcomes does not always require complex or costly interventions. Small, well-timed conversations about oral health can make a real difference. By equipping nurses with the knowledge, confidence and support to act, oral health can become a routine part of diabetes prevention and care.

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