The annual Robin Davies DCP Research Awards luncheon was held in November to celebrate the 2023 award winners. The celebration was held at Linden House, London and was attended by leaders of dentistry from across the UK. The Oral and Dental Research Trust (ODRT) partner with Colgate annually to offer a £5,000 research grant to award winners, exclusively dental care professionals (DCPs).

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(Left to right): Lone Lenes from Colgate, Emma Van Eyssen from Colgate, Mark Thurston, Helen Bullingham, Tracey Kinsella, Laura McClune (on behalf of Nikki Legg), Rob Marcys from Colgate and Jessica Hulme from Colgate, at the Robin Davies DCP Research Awards luncheon

The keynote speaker for this event was interim Chief Dental Officer for England, Jason Wong, who said ‘The Robin Davies DCP Research Awards, I believe, are still unique in providing DCPs the opportunity to carry out research. In many cases, this is the first introduction to research methodology for those who have never previously been involved in research.'

Sir Nairn Wilson, ODRT Trustee, invited the 2023 awardees to share their proposals with the audience.

Dental nurse Helen Bullingham is investigating if oral healthcare training can enhance parent confidence in their ability to influence their child's oral health, increasing toothbrushing episodes and reducing challenging toothbrushing behaviour of autistic children.

Mark Thurston, dental nurse and student dental hygienist and therapist, aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated care plan with accessible elements using a nursing model in enhancing communication and referrals between healthcare and dental teams for people who live in residential services.

Dental nurse Nikki Legg is working towards gaining an understanding of the difficulties faced by children and staff in Special Educational Needs (SEN) Schools in relation to oral hygiene and diet.

Dental hygienist Tracey Kinsella will be focused on determining the level of confidence in Critical Care Nurses and Health Care Support Workers providing oral care to individuals who are intubated/mechanically ventilated.

Colgate and the ODRT are pleased to be hosting this event once again, with the next celebration planned for Wednesday 8 May 2024. For more details visit www.odrt.org.uk/award/colgate-robin-davies-dcp-awards.