On 23 August 2022, dentist Rebecca Iles gave an oral presentation of the research she conducted for her Master's degree in Special Care Dentistry in Paris at the International Association of Disability and Oral Health Conference, a prestigious event held every two years. Rebecca has also been approached by the British Society of Gerodontology and the British Society for Disability and Oral Health to lead the development of guidelines for palliative care.

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For her Master's research project, entitled Oral health experiences in palliative and end of life care, Rebecca spent six months visiting St Christopher's Hospice in South London, carrying out observational studies, interviews with palliative care patients and focus groups with palliative care staff. Rebecca's research, which earned her a distinction, will prove instrumental in improving the oral health outcomes for this patient group and, she hopes, will improve both the provision of oral care, and the access to dental care, in hospices across the UK.

Rebecca works for Smile Together in the South West, specialising in special care dentistry and fulfilling her desire to contribute to reducing oral health inequalities experienced by people living with complex impairments and disabilities and improving the oral health-related quality of life for these patients.