Caroline Holland interviews Leigh-Ann Randell, newly co-opted to the Executive Committee of BSPD as its first DCP representative.

Leigh-Ann Randell, a clinical lecturer in dental therapy, is on a mission. She explains she wants to address the lack of opportunity that dental therapists have faced over many decades and wants a less restrictive environment, so all colleagues can achieve their full potential.

Her motive is clearly not about personal advancement. Quietly and authoritatively, she is about making a difference. She has just taken on the role of co-opted dental care professional (DCP) representative on the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry‘s Executive Committee. With all the right qualities to be the voice of dental therapists within BSPD, Leigh-Ann achieved a dual qualification - the Diploma for Hygiene and Dental Therapy - in 1997 from the London Hospital (the only educational centre offering a dual therapy/hygiene qualification at the time) and later a BSc in Dental Studies and is currently studying for a Masters in Academic Practice. Over the last 20 years she has worked in general practice, hospital and community services, in North Wales, Gloucestershire, and Manchester. Since 2010 she has been part of the teaching staff at the University of Liverpool School of Dentistry, preparing student dental therapists for the world of work.

We meet at the study day of BSPD's Teachers' Branch and start by discussing the talk we have just heard by Dr Emma Robinson, clinical lecturer at Newcastle University School of Dental Sciences. Leigh-Ann agrees with Emma - there needs to be more recognition of the valuable role that dental nurses have.

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Leigh-Ann Randell

Dental nurses advocate and embody teamwork, says Leigh-Ann and change seems to be coming from the bottom upwards. She told me about her commitment to the British Association of Dental Therapists (BADT), which she joined when she was working in the community service in Gloucester in 1998.

Elected onto the BADT council, she took the roles of regional representative, journal editor, chair and then president.1 She is still a member but is now seeking to have influence in BSPD having been one of the first DCPs to join when full membership of non-dentists became permissible.

Since 2010 she has been living in Wales and commuting to Liverpool. She is a clinical lecturer on the pioneering new Collaborative Learning Course (CLC)2 known as the Centennial Curriculum, where undergraduate dentists and dental therapists learn together. After the third year, the dental therapy students can graduate and go out into the workplace, or a small number can apply to continue their studies within the CLC, alongside the BDS students and acquire a degree in dentistry (BDS).

[Leigh-Ann] wants to address the lack of opportunity that dental therapists have faced over many decades and wants a less restrictive environment, so all colleagues can achieve their full potential.

The course underscores the skills and experience of dental therapists and Leigh-Ann hopes that it will build the number of dental therapists able to deliver NHS treatment and advance their scope of practice further. Her commitment to building awareness of the extensive role of the therapist is total. ‘I have always been passionate about dental therapy,' she explains. ‘Not many people realise‘, she says, ‘that dental therapists can carry out 70% of the treatments that dentists are permitted to undertake.'

Despite her busy working life, Leigh-Ann has plenty to do at home. She and her husband have a small-holding with four horses, four dogs and a cat who keep them busy, in addition to two teenage children! They are both interested in working with horses as therapy and are great fans of horse whisperer Monty Roberts, known to have trained the late Queen's horses.

Leigh-Ann rides when time allows and her horse is currently being trained following Monty Roberts' Intelligent Horsemanship principles. Her approach to training animals is similar to her strategy for building awareness of dental therapy, quietly, and with authority, bringing about a change in behaviour and attitude.

BSPD has shown its willingness to empower DCPs and Leigh-Ann is looking forward to working with a specialist society which does far more than pay lip service to teamwork.