We are proud to announce Louise Cooper as our January DNN Student of the Month.

Louise was nominated by one of our assessors. After reviewing her work, we agreed she demonstrated outstanding commitment, creativity, and professionalism.

Mouth breathing is rarely discussed in routine oral health education, despite being widely recognised in medicine, sleep science and orthodontics as a factor that can influence both oral and general health. This raises an important question for dental teams: should mouth breathing be mentioned in oral health education, and if so, how far does our role go?

The question of gel nails often arises among dental nurses, particularly when a special occasion is coming up and you start to wonder whether having your nails done would really make a difference at work. Alongside this, there is a growing amount of mixed messaging. Some dental professionals and educators suggest that the CQC takes a more relaxed approach, while online forums and discussions include reports from dental managers who say their practices allow short gel nails under local policy. With so many conflicting views circulating, it can be difficult to know which information is reliable and what guidance should actually be followed.

There's a persistent narrative in the dental community that people complete training courses only to file away the certificate and never use what they've learned. Time constraints, NHS contract pressures, and lack of clinical opportunity are frequently cited as barriers that prevent newly qualified professionals from using their skills. The assumption is that certificates disappear into CPD folders while the knowledge fades through lack of use. We recently surveyed 22 past Level 3 Oral Health Education (OHE) students to find out whether this view reflects reality specifically in relation to OHE qualifications. The results were encouraging and challenged this prevailing narrative.

Don’t you just love a new year?

I really do. I love the feeling of being able to reset, restart, put the year behind me and begin again. Turning the page and giving yourself permission to start fresh carries immense power.