Dr Mick Horton, Dean of FGDP(UK), opened the evening by reflecting on the role of the faculty now and into the future, “Our anniversary celebration is a great occasion for us to look forward to our new future. We are now laying the foundations for forming a new chartered medical college after 25 successful years at RCS.
“It’s a bold step: one that we believe will inspire our members and open a gateway to new partnerships that promote professionalism in dentistry. For the public and for patients, a clearly identifiable, confident and active standard-setting body will help us to cultivate greater confidence in dentistry overall. We want to focus on developing the appeal of a modern medical college for new generations entering practice.
“We are delighted to award our anniversary prizes to three extremely worthy winners. Their own personal achievements mirror the quality of standards and the diversity within the general dental profession, and we congratulate them on their awards.”
Award Winners
Foundation Dentist of the Year – Claire Culverwell
Claire works as a dental associate at Crook Log Dental Practice in South East London. Her career began as a dental nurse, before studying dental hygiene and therapy at the University of Liverpool. She then decided to study dental surgery at King’s College London and was nominated by her foundation trainer, Baber Khan.
Claire commented, “I went the long way around to my career in dentistry, but I am glad I did, because I’ve been in contact with patients from the very beginning, allowing me to develop a range of skills. This award means a lot to me, because getting to this point in my life has taken great effort and commitment. I wasn’t sure I would ever get there, but I know that all the effort has paid off. I’m surrounded by people who push me to be my best every day, and I’m loving every minute.”
Community Dentist of the Year – Jason Wong
This prize recognises GDPs and DCPs who have made a significant contribution to improving oral care in their local community, and was awarded through a process of open nomination by peers within the profession.
Jason commented, “I am honoured that a colleague had the thought and put in the effort to nominate me and I’m delighted that the FGDP(UK) panel chose me for the award. I believe that we are all part of a great profession and that all of us who benefit from being part of it need to put something back in for the benefit of the whole profession.”
Dean’s Award – Dentaid
The Dean’s Award, sponsored by Simplyhealth, was presented to Dentaid for their support of the The Real Junk Tooth Project in the UK.
Andy Evans, CEO of Dentaid, said, “Everyone at Dentaid is delighted and honoured to win the Dean’s Award. In recent years, we have become increasingly aware that many people in the UK struggle to access dental treatment for a wide variety of reasons and this has a negative impact on their general wellbeing. Thanks to an incredible team of volunteers, many vulnerable people and those who could not register with an NHS dentist in Dewsbury were able to visit a dental surgery in the evening, without an appointment, and receive pain relieving dental care. They only paid if they could afford to. Over seven months 150 people received emergency treatment thanks to the Real Junk Tooth Project. Dentaid’s next step was to purchase a mobile dental unit so we could bring a similar service to other parts of the country. This unit also went back to Dewsbury in September when we treated almost 200 people in two weeks at clinics held outside schools, community centres and public buildings. We are very grateful to all our volunteers and supporters for enabling this project to be such a success.”
As part of the 25-year celebration the FGDP(UK) will also host a conference on Holistic Dentistry on 3rd November in Solihull.