The first dental nurses in the South West of England have gained their certificate of competency in the application of topical fluoride varnish via blended learning. Alasdair Miller, Dental Postgraduate Dean, presented certificates to Tracy Andrews, Lindsey Bright and Claire Gillbard.

They completed a blended learning programme to achieve competency in the application of topical fluoride varnish as permitted by the General Dental Council's recent ‘Scope of Practice’ document.

The programme involved the use of distance learning workbooks which tested and updated the students' underpinning theoretical knowledge. There were also practical sessions in the Simulated Dental Learning Environment of the Peninsula Dental School in Plymouth followed up with successful completion of a patient logbook with the application of topical fluoride varnish carried out on ten patients under the close supervision of a dentist.