Award winning dental hygienist takes HPV vaccination campaign up Ben Nevis

On May 29, the dental hygienist from Thornton, Middlesbrough, took part in the oral health initiative Moveit4smiles, a project which aims to tackle mouth cancer while campaigning for boys to receive the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.

Gill (43), who was crowned ‘Dental Hygienist of the Year’ at the recent National Dental Awards, was joined by her two sons, Bailey (16) and Harvey (12). The trio tackled Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the United Kingdom, standing at 1,346ft above sea level, head on.

Gill believes strongly in raising awareness of mouth cancer and campaigning towards the NHS provision of a HPV vaccination for all boys, which is currently only available for girls.

Gill said: “HPV is responsible for numerous diseases and has been estimated to be the cause of 5 per cent of all cancer cases. There is a vaccination available, but presently it is only given to girls because of its link with cervical cancer.