Dental Clinical Board

After initially starting a degree in Fine Art and Design he changed direction and qualified from Sheffield University Dental School. Shortly after qualifying he started his specialist training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield with further training in Leeds, London, and Sheffield. He was awarded a prestigious Wellcome Trust Personal Research Training Fellowship. In 1994 he gained his Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons.

From 1998, he lectured in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, organising and teaching on the undergraduate/postgraduate courses in surgery, implantology and sedation at the University of Manchester. In 2000, he gained his MMedSci from the University of Sheffield, winning the outstanding research medal from the Royal Society of Medicine.

He has published articles in several refereed journals and lectures both nationally and internationally. He provides training courses in all aspects of oral surgery, implantology, bone grafting and behavioural management.

He works in a private practice limited to Oral Surgery and dental implantology. Currently, he is visiting Senior Lecturer on many University implant programs previously ADI Secretary, Treasurer, previous President Elect and ADI Clinical Mentor, Nobel BioCare mentor, Dentsply Peer, Straumann Mentor and SAAD/DSTG Mentor.

Robert is also a regular speaker for Bridge2Aid and a Humble Brush ambassador.

Ian is a partner in an 8-surgery mixed practice in North Devon and an Associate Professor in Primary Care Dentistry at Peninsula Dental School.  He is a past Dean of the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK), and was previously a Trustee of the College of General Dentistry and the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Ian has represented the profession on various local and national committees, including the BDA General Dental Practice Committee, Devon Local Dental Committee, and the CQC Dental Reference Group. During the COVID pandemic, Ian was closely involved in various national stakeholder groups supporting the response of the dental profession. He was directly engaged in the development of COVID guidelines for FGDP(UK) and the SDCEP AGP Rapid Review Group. He has been awarded Honorary Fellowships from the British Dental Association, The Association of Dental Implantology and the inaugural College Medal of the College of General Dentistry.

In addition to his clinical practice, Ian is involved in undergraduate and postgraduate education, and is actively involved in primary care-based research. His current research interests include recruitment and retention of the dental workforce, mental health and wellness in the dental team, person-centred care in dentistry and environmental sustainability.

Fiona is the Academic Lead and Moderator at Bangor University (Dental Nursing) and part of the All Wales Faculty for DCPs. She holds two posts with the General Dental Council, in addition to this she is an External Examiner at 2 universities. She founded the Society of British Dental Nurses in 2015, having formerly been the President of BADN, she is also the co-founder of the International Federation of Dental Assistants and Nurses and the founder of Dental Professional Alliance. Fiona has to date had an extensive career in dentistry spanning 41yrs and worked across many different fields.

Fiona’s later career has focused on dental education, specifically on education governance and quality assurance. She has a strong interest in patient safety sciences (Human Factors), receiving a certificate at master’s level in 2022 and in public health 2018. Fiona was privileged to be part of the SDCEP working group during the pandemic and to represent the Dental Dean of RCS Edinburgh on the NHS One Voice panel. Fiona along with DPA colleagues has been the driving force behind the Mental Health Wellness Framework across all 4 nations. She continues her mental health work as part of MINDSET UK.

Fiona was appointed (Hon) Vice President BSDHT in 2019 and is a former examiner for the NEBDN and a Trustee for Dentaid, as well as an educational advisor for Mouth Cancer Foundation. She received a Queen’s honour 2019 for her contribution to dentistry. Fiona’s first book was formally launched on 10^th July 2023 – ‘How to develop your career in dental nursing’, co-authored with Dr Janine Brooks. She continues to support dental nursing and dental nurses as a trained, qualified and practicing mentor, as well as members of the broader team and as part of the Development Advisors work.

Fiona has written a number of published articles and papers and speaks both nationally and internationally and has supported the development of an oral health program in a developing country, which translated the DBOH and engaged local community workers in remote areas.

Simon qualified a professional lifetime ago and worked mainly in general practice in the north of England with an interest in prevention.

He has been involved in vocational training since 1992 mainly as a trainer and latterly as a TPD.

Simon is the coordinator of the national community water fluoridation network raising the profile of the public health measure and campaigning for targeted implementation to reduce inequalities.

Simon chaired the Local Dental Network for North Yorkshire & Humber between 2013 and 2022 and is a champion of flexible commissioning as a method of targeting commissioning resource at oral health need, developing skill-mix delivery of care and moving away from activity based (UDA) care-models.

Fiona qualified as a Dental Hygienist from Manchester Dental Hospital in 1993 and as a Dental Therapist in 1999 from Liverpool University Dental Hospital and in 2013 gained her in Medical Education from Cardiff University. She currently works part-time in a busy NHS Practice, as DPSU Lead and North Wales Reginal Lead for Health Education and Improvement Wales. She is an Education Associate for the GDC and an Examiner for the RCS Edinburgh and a past President of the British Association of Dental Therapists. She has been fortunate to work as a dental therapist in practice, in the hospital, the community dental service, and in personal dental service, and has an interest in treating anxious patients with Inhalation Sedation. She has been awarded two Oral and Dental Research Trust DCP Awards, in 2013 and 2015. She has recently completed and defended her PhD in Service Research at Bangor University and working on the proposal for the use of exemptions in medicines legislation by dental hygienists and dental therapists across the United Kingdom and Chair of the British Association of Dental Therapists.

Fiona is a Fellow of the College of General Dentistry and Fellow of the Dental Trainers Faculty of the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh, Fellow of the College of General Dentistry and sits on the “Dental Update Editorial Board”

Ben Wild is Chief Clinical Officer at Riverdale Healthcare, having held a Director role since the inception of the business 5 years ago. After initially working in a hospital role following graduation as part of the first longitudinal foundation programme in Newcastle he entered general practice, working in a number of NHS and private practices. In 2005 he became a practice owner, ultimately forming business partnerships with his close friends as part of two practice groups in the North East and North Yorkshire, the most recent of which, Alpha Dental Group, became the platform for Riverdale.  He is also a partner in a private practice in the beautiful Lake District.

A keen interest in education and professional development resulted in a role as an Educational Supervisor for a number of years before a 10 year period as Training Programme Director, culminating in the current role as  Associate Dean for the Dental Foundation Training Programmes in NHSE NE&C, a role held for the past 5 years.

Currently Clinical Director for A&U dental surgeries, a family owned group of dental practices. Since qualifying in 2000, I have worked in both NHS and private general dentistry, as well as the community dental service, oral surgery services and cooperate leadership. I was a dental foundation educational supervisor for 5 years and then a training programme director for dental foundation training for a further 5 years and have a passion for dental education and development. I have completed postgraduate certificates in teaching and learning and in mentoring, coaching and leadership and have mentored many dentists. My passion is to help clinicians maintain successful careers in dentistry ensuring practices and clinicians are able to provide the best patient care to meet the needs and wants of their local population.

Lyn has over 30 years experience as a Coach and Facilitator, helping a wide variety of organisations from pre-start up to established corporate, to improve their culture, leadership approach and team performance.

In addition, she has worked within dentistry for over 10 years; within dental practice acquisitions for mydentist, Dentex and Envisage and as a (non-clinical) Partner in her own Private dental practice.

It was in her own practice where she proved that turnover is significantly impacted through her empowering approach to leadership and team coaching.  The Practice saw an increase of more than 250% in less than 2 years, without needing to be hands on.

She is currently working with new and rapidly growing dental group Todays Dental, focusing upon developing a Culture which facilitates the 4Ps; Purpose, People, Patients and Profit©

She takes a fresh, forward-thinking approach in the way she delivers content, with a focus upon making it accessible and easy to implement in real life.  Her area of expertise is in developing leaders who evolve empowered, engaged teams, which creates happy and profitable dental businesses.

Arjun qualified from Universidad Europea de Madrid, Spain in 2021 and returned to the UK after graduating to work as a Dentist while undergoing a privately funded Foundation Training for non-UK qualified dentists.

Since graduating, Arjun has played an active role in supporting other internationally trained Dentists with working in the UK. Additionally, he supports other members of the dental team (including Mentors) to facilitate a smooth transition to UK Dentistry. As an internationally trained dentist himself, Arjun has had first hand experience with the unique challenges faced for this ever-growing group of dentists in the UK and so is able to provide the support they need.

Currently, Arjun is continuing his professional career in the USA as a resident dentist while continuing to advocate for internationally trained dentists.

Manish has been a Clinical Director at MyDentist for over 10 years, providing clinical support and leadership across multiple practices. With over two decades of experience in general practice since graduating in 1998, he is committed to maintaining high clinical standards and quality patient care, ensuring compliance with legislative regulations. 

In his role, Manish mentors dentists, formulates personal development plans, and supports clinician career growth, particularly for ORE dentists and those joining the NHS performers list. He has built strong relationships with NHS England, Deaneries, and Local Professional Networks. 

Manish is a Fellow of the College of General Dentistry, an accredited mentor with Health Education England, and serves on the GDC’s panel as a Clinical Advisor and Expert Witness. Passionate about mentoring, he is part of a national network that supports dental professionals in career development, leadership, and professional issues. 

Kaushik serves as the Clinical Director for the Northwest and Central regions at MyDentist. With over 14 years of experience in general dental practice, primarily in the Midlands, he also provides Tier 2 Oral Surgery services and works part-time as a Specialty Dentist at Birmingham Dental Hospital. Since 2008, he has been an Honorary Clinical Lecturer at the University of Birmingham. 

Kaushik holds several postgraduate qualifications in sedation and oral surgery and is a Fellow of the Royal Colleges of England and Edinburgh, as well as the College of General Dentistry. He is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, having completed a PG Certificate in Education. 

In his roles, Kaushik is deeply involved in teaching, assessments, and the training of dental professionals, particularly in oral surgery. He has served as Divisional MJDF Tutor for the West Midlands and is on the Advisory Board for the MFDS examination with the RCS Edinburgh, where he also acts as Deputy Lead Examiner for the OSCE component of the ORE exam. 

Currently, he is focused on shaping local dental services in Northwest England, overseeing the operation of over 150 dental practices, and collaborating with various Local Area Teams, Managed Clinical Networks, and Local Professional Networks to maintain high standards of clinical practice and ensure patient and workforce welfare. 

Gerry was a full-time GP and senior partner at a small, rural, award winning practice for over 20 years. During that time, he developed an expertise in evidenced-based medicine and patient involvement.

For the past 11 years he has been medical director at Agilio Software. He has published widely on a diverse range of topics including shared care, mortality review, and evidence-based prescribing.

He edits Clinical Knowledge Summaries published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). He has written and edited many of our e-learning topics across Agilio divisions.

He has presented at national and international events on clinical quality improvement methodology and clinical decision support tools.

He is also a non-executive director at the North East Ambulance Service, where he chairs the technology committee.

David Fraser oversees the Agilio iLearn platform which offers enhanced CPD e-learning for over 70K GDC registrants across the UK. His key aim is to create the right clinical learning materials and environment which can help assist in the retention and development of the entire dental team. As a dental graduate from The University of Glasgow in 1994, he has over 20 years of experience working as a dentist, providing both NHS and private treatment. Additionally, following on from obtaining an IT master’s degree (The University of York 2006), he worked for several years in management consultancy at Accenture, specifically on IT infrastructure projects for a global pharmaceutical/healthcare company.