title: Participant recruitment to FiCTION, a primary dental care trial - survey of facilitators and barriers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify reasons behind a lower than expected participant recruitment rate within the FiCTION trial, a multi-centre paediatric primary dental care randomised controlled trial (RCT).
  
  
  METHODS
  An online survey, based on a previously published tool, consisting of both quantitative and qualitative responses, completed by staff in dental practices recruiting to FiCTION. Ratings from quantitative responses were aggregated to give overall scores for factors related to participant recruitment. Qualitative responses were independently grouped into themes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-nine anonymous responses were received. Main facilitators related to the support received from the central research team and importance of the research question. The main barriers related to low child eligibility rates and the integration of trial processes within routine workloads.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings have directed strategies for enhancing participant recruitment at existing practices and informed recruitment of further practices. The results help provide a profile of the features required of practices to successfully screen and recruit participants. Future trials in this setting should consider the level of interest in the research question within practices, and ensure trial processes are as streamlined as possible. Research teams should actively support practices with participant recruitment and maintain enthusiasm among the entire practice team.
authors.affiliation: Dundee Dental School, Child Oral Health, Division of Oral Health Science, Dundee, DD1 4HN.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keightley
authors.affiliation: University of Dundee, Dental Health Services Research Unit, Dundee, DD1 4HR.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Clarkson
authors.affiliation: Newcastle University, Centre for Oral Health Research, School of Dental Sciences, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4BW.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maguire
authors.affiliation: Newcastle Clinical Trials Unit, Institute of Health and Society, Newcastle, NE2 4BW.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Speed
authors.affiliation: Dundee Dental School, Child Oral Health, Division of Oral Health Science, Dundee, DD1 4HN.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Innes
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000379:methods; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D018579:Patient Selection; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D006113:United Kingdom