Taking care of a child’s oral health is an important matter, and it starts as early as infancy (0–12 months). Strong, healthy teeth and gums during this time will help support weaning and speech development and hold spaces for permanent teeth to come through later. The habits created in infancy will also form the foundations upon which lifelong good oral hygiene and preventative habits will be built.

My dental journey began in 2015 when I joined the BSc Dental Hygiene and Therapy course at the University of Birmingham. I learnt about the career through my sister, who had graduated as a hygienist a few years before. I completed work experience, whilst doing my A-Levels, at a local dental practice (where I now work, a real full-circle moment) which confirmed it was the right career for me.

It's here again!

From the 16th May to the 16th June, National Smile Month is back! This year, wouldn’t it be fantastic if we, as dental nurses, can not only get involved ourselves but can really encourage our practices to do the same? It would make a great team activity. 

It’s been a long time since I started working in the dental industry; 19 years, in fact! In that time, I have seen so many changes to the provision of dental care across the country. 

When I started dental nursing, we provided predominantly NHS funded treatment – this was when it was still ‘pay per item’ – with a few private patients. As I moved and joined other practices, this seemed to be the norm.

“The award is a recognition of the vision and perseverance of all those patients, carers and the many supporters who have sustained the vision I had for the charity from its inception and grown it over the years.  It is a big tribute to them. Without them, we would not have got this far. Sadly, some are no longer with us. God bless them. Congratulations to all”.

Dr Vinod Joshi - Founder, Mouth Cancer Foundation