Dental industry figures gathered recently for the launch of a programme designed to prepare dental nurses to deliver evidence-based oral health advice and apply fluoride varnish.

The new partnership between North Western Deanery, The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and Colgate has produced a programme for registered dental nurses to study part time towards a 'Certificate in Oral Health and Application of Fluoride Varnish'.

Pictured from left to right: Dr Barry Cockcroft, Chief Dental Officer for England, Professor Lawrence Mair, Head of the School of Dentistry, UCLan, Michael Sload, Vice President and General Manager, Colgate-Palmolive (UK) Ltd, Eileen Martin, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Care, UCLan and Donna Hough, Dental Workforce Development Lead for DCPs, North Western Postgraduate Dental Deanery

Dr Barry Cockcroft, Chief Dental Officer for England, who opened the proceedings at London's Chandos House, owned by the Royal Society of Medicine, said, 'The toolkit Delivering better oral health underpins the role of the whole dental team in preventing dental disease and moves the focus away from treatment of existing disease to positively improving oral health. Modern high quality dentistry provides a wide range of opportunities for all trained dental care professionals to take an active part in supporting patients to achieve healthy functioning mouths.'