The Association of Dental Hospitals has elected Ewen McColl, director of clinical dentistry and deputy head of school at Peninsula Dental School, as its new chair.
Prior to his roles at Peninsula Dental School, Ewen began his career in the military, serving as senior dental officer in Afghanistan and was for two years on Loan Service to The Sultan of Brunei’s Armed Forces. He was certified as a restorative consultant in 2009 and worked as a consultant for the military before joining Peninsula Dental School in 2012. Alongside his current position, he is an editor of the Faculty of General Dental Practitioners Standards in Dentistry, a director of Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise and sits on the editorial board of Dental Update.
Of his new role, Ewen McColl said, “I am honoured to be elected as chair of the Association of Dental Hospitals at this critical time for the sector. I’d like to thank Joanna Johnson, who did a remarkable job as chair and an advocate for dental hospitals. Her efforts to keep dental hospitals informed during the pandemic were invaluable, facilitating the sharing of best practice and enabling colleagues to come together to solve similar problems.
“Understanding the impacts of Covid-19 on oral health and dentistry is crucial to any future reforms in dentistry. It is crystal clear that the pandemic has exacerbated the structural issues within NHS dentistry, pushing it to its breaking point and creating long-term impacts on the nation’s oral health. The importance of oral health and equal access to high quality care must be prioritised.
“Dental hospitals will continue to collaborate to advance our mission to guarantee high standards of patient care and dental education, and to use our expertise to inform decision makers and policy. A collective approach – sharing best practice and learning from other healthcare systems – will be essential to tackle future challenges and honour future opportunities to help dental hospitals, and their patients and staff.”