Look tothe future

Will McLaughlin: Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery

The College is pleased to welcome Will McLaughlin as Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery. He has a long association with the College, having obtained his FDS in 1986 sitting the clinical part of the exam in the ‘old’ Edinburgh Dental School in Chambers Street.

Subsequently, he completed a Master’s in Restorative Dentistry with Distinction, including a dissertation on markers of periodontal disease at Leeds University in 1989, and strengthened his ties with the College by passing the Diploma and Membership in Restorative Dentistry in 1990 and 1993.

During this time he completed his consultant training at Newcastle Dental Hospital with a sabbatical in Edmonton, Canada, in 1993.

Variety of interests

McLaughlin was the first Consultant in Restorative Dentistry appointed at Cardiff Dental Hospital in 1995, and over the subsequent 25 years developed and expanded the team to provide comprehensive restorative care for head and neck oncology, cleft lip and palate and hypodontia patients, as well as a referral service for general dental practitioners and general medical practitioners.

Throughout his career he has maintained a variety of interests, including treatment of special care patients, periodontal surgery and maxillofacial prosthodontics. Additionally, he has been Clinical Director for both the hospital and community dental services in Cardiff.

McLaughlin has supported the College in many roles, including Deputy Dental Exams Convenor (2010–2018), MFDS Part 2 Convenor (2011–2017), Dental Council Member (elected 2014) and Restorative Dentistry SAB Chair since 2021.

Focus on sustainability

The 2023 Dental Ambassador Conference ran on 21 September with the theme of ‘Implementing sustainability’, and was attended by Dental Ambassadors from the UK as well as the Caribbean, Cambodia and Australia.

The first keynote presenter, Brett Duane, opened with ‘Dental Sustainability: What you should prioritise’, showing the relative carbon savings from changes in dental practice.

The day was filled with excellent Ambassador presentations on dental implants, attitudes to sustainable dentistry in Trinidad and Tobago, the Dentaid dental charity, sustainability in oral surgery and sustainability within the corporate dental sector.

Other keynote presentations were delivered by Catherine Tothill and Elinor Chalmers, Sustainability Champions in Dundee Dental Hospital & Research School, and Michael Stitt on the College’s contribution to achieving net zero across campuses and activities.

Finally, Sarah Manton and the Dental Executive brought Dental Ambassadors up to speed with the Faculty of Dental Trainers (specifically the DENTS programme) and the Faculty of Dental Surgery’s education, examination and engagement portfolios.

He has had an extensive association with postgraduate education, holding various posts in Health Education and Improvement Wales and its predecessors since 1998, and since 2018 has been Associate Dental Dean for Dental Core and Specialty Training. He has also served as President of the British Society of Periodontology.

Modernisation

In his role as Vice-Dean, McLaughlin’s aims over the next three years include working with our Dental Ambassadors to increase the profile of the Dental Faculty within the UK and worldwide, the development and expansion of an international clinical skills competition to complement the one that already exists in the UK, and working with advisory boards and specialty advisory boards to revise the current examination portfolio to meet the GDC revised specialty and other curricula requirements.

He also supports the GDC’s aim to modernise its SLAA process, including any revision of its international registration examination and open access to permissive examinations.

Outside of his professional career, McLaughlin is now a proud grandad and a keen, though limited, golfer. He also enjoys regular skiing holidays with family and friends.

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