Readers will be aware of the names of the Editorial Board of Dental Update, given that these appear in each issue, with the Board being responsible, along with myself, for the quality of the publication. Their other role is to suggest articles to be commissioned for future issues and authors who might write them. Given that the majority of published articles are written by dental academics (despite encouragement from me aimed at involving general dentists in the writing process), it is therefore not a surprise to note that the majority of the Editorial Board are academics.
The Readers' Panel was formed by me in 1998, with a view to seeking the views of a representative sample of the varied readership on the appropriateness of the content of Dental Update to their needs and to suggest topics which they feel should be covered. Readers may therefore be interested to read the varied backgrounds of the members of the Readers' Panel, as this has changed over the years, but with this short piece hopefully demonstrating that the Panel represents the workplace within dentistry of the majority of readers. The most recent addition is a student member, given the popularity of Dental Update among dental students.
Article
Samantha is a final year dental student at the University of Birmingham. Her view is that reading Dental Update has helped her gain a better understanding of many clinical techniques. She considers that Dental Update is her first port of call if she needs to learn about any new procedure or technique that is not covered in the undergraduate course. She adds: ‘I have found many of the articles hugely enjoyable, even if some are slightly above my current clinical knowledge'.
Samantha Cottam
Adrian is a specialist in Oral Surgery, currently being Clinical Director for Oral Surgery, Orthodontics and Restorative Dentistry at the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. His main interests are paediatric dento-alveolar surgery, especially in relationship to Orthodontics, and he also has an interest in peri-radicular surgery. He is a passionate advocate for surgical safety and was involved in the local implementation of WHO surgical safety checklists on local anaesthetic lists in the out-patient department. In his spare time, he likes to grow moustaches for charity!
Adrian Curtis
Nerina runs a practice limited to Orthodontics in Hampshire, but also has an interest in placing composite build-ups which are sometimes necessary to complement the final result in some Orthodontic cases. She is also a Staff grade in Orthodontics in Southampton General Hospital. Among her other dentally-related activities, she has recently become a Coach Mentor and Dental Appraiser for Wessex Deanery and is Hon Sec of Wessex BDA and a member of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight LDC. She is a founder member of the Editorial Board of Orthodontic Update and the Women in Wessex dental peer review group. In what spare time she has, Nerina also is a Relate Counsellor.
Nerina Hendrickse
Paul Howard is a Specialist in Special Care Dentistry and is the Lead Clinician for West Hampshire Community Dental Services and for Occasional Care dental services at community and hospital clinics in Hampshire, operated by the Solent NHS Trust. These services include Ministry of Justice prison dental services on the Isle of Wight and Hampshire and dental services at two secure mental health units. He is the Educational Supervisor for StR training programme in Special Care Dentistry in Hampshire. Paul has a wide experience of integration of digitalized imaging systems and quality assurance procedures for both wet film, phosphor plate and sensor-based operations in his role as lead for Dental IT for three NHS Trusts.
Paul Howard
Paul came to the CDS from a clinical teacher post at Birmingham University and prior to that was a Dental Officer in the Armed Forces.
Alistair divides his time between running a general dental practice in Burton on Trent and working at the Dental Hospital/School in Birmingham. He is also a clinical implant mentor for Straumann. During his work at the dental practice, Alistair's interests are minimally invasive dentistry utilizing the most modern materials and, indeed, evaluating them as part of the PREP panel. This runs alongside his interests in implant dentistry and the treatment of the nervous patient with adjunctive sedation techniques.
Ali James
Alistair lectures in clinical dentistry at the University of Birmingham, teaching both undergraduates and helping out in the Master's programme. In his work at the hospital he is a specialty dentist in restorative dentistry, treating all aspects of restorative treatment. He has been part of the Readers' Panel for a number of years and is keen to get young dentists involved in reading and submitting to Dental Update.
David Watson currently works in a varied post at Glasgow Dental School where he is a Senior Clinical Teacher in Restorative Dentistry, Clinical Lead for Outreach Teaching and BDS 5 Course Co-ordinator. In this regard, final year dental students at Glasgow spend half of the academic year in a variety of community outreach locations as widely dispersed as Dumfries in SW Scotland and Campbeltown in the Mull of Kintyre. This curricular development is the result of a partnership initiative involving University of Glasgow Dental School, NHS (Education) Scotland and six participating NHS Boards. The students attend eight Public Dental Service clinics in total, on a daily commute or residential basis. Their timetabling facilitates core module teaching back in the Dental School, allowing the students to enjoy the best of both worlds, with plenty of time in real life clinical environments working on patients. Overseeing this activity can be challenging, but is exciting and rewarding.
David Watson
David's involvement with the Readers' Panel at Dental Update dates back to 1998: a liaison which he considers to have been both stimulating and educational. However, he retires at the end of 2016 and will be much missed for his valuable input.
