Clinical Lecturer in Special Care Dentistry

University of Glasgow

Nick graduated from The University of Glasgow Dental School. He then spent time in Lothian Health Board gaining experience in General Dental Practice, Paediatric Dentistry, Oral Surgery, Restorative Dentistry and The Public Dental Service.

Nick has since returned to The University of Glasgow to undertake his clinical academic training in Special Care Dentistry which he completed in 2018. In 2019,  Nick was appointed to the post of University Clinical Lecturer. In addition to his clinical duties he delivers teaching to undergraduate and postgraduate audiences throughout the United Kingdom as well as to other teams involved in health and social care. He has also gained experience in research working with older people and has undertaken a scholarship in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education having obtained a M.Ed. with distinction and is a Fellow of The Higher Education. Nick has a particular interest in technology enhanced case base learning and problem based learning. Following the successful award of grant funding, his current focus of educational research and development is to evaluate active learning from a student perspective. Nick has also recently taken on the role of depute co-coordinator for year three of the B.D.S. programme at The University of Glasgow.  

Open Wide represents a significant moment for people with additional care needs and for oral health. It recognises that there are barriers to achieving oral health for some of the most vulnerable people in our society who are dependent upon others to support their health and wellbeing. Open Wide seeks to find a way forward to address this by empowering those people with additional care needs but it also strives to foster the necessary support which is appropriate to the needs of each individual to improve oral health and wellbeing.

The available scientific literature is clear, the oral health levels experienced by those with additional care needs is on the whole poor. This is not fair and it is not right. The prevention of oral disease is key to improving the oral health of all individuals and groups that have additional care needs. Equally, the recognition of disease is essential to ensure it can be appropriately managed by the right person in the right place at the right time. As health and social care partnerships develop in the future we all have to be able to work together at all levels in order to share skills and collaborate ensuring we are doing our very best for these people who are such a valuable part of our communities.

It is a huge honour to be able to bring what knowledge and enthusiasm I have for improving the oral health experience of people with impairment and disability to the Open Wide programme. To have the opportunity to support any carer in learning more about oral health and providing them with the confidence and competence they require to aid in this process is a massive privilege. Whilst a dentist may deliver treatment to manage oral diseases, in reality, it is the daily care of the mouth that is the most important aspect of oral healthcare which will improve the levels of oral health experienced by people with additional care needs.  Open Wide provides a huge opportunity to move our society closer to improving the oral health of these people.

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