ADAM award winners

The first ever Association of Dental Administrators and Managers (ADAM) Awards took place during their conference in Harrogate in May. Nicki Rowland from Perfect 32 in Beverley was named Practice Manager of the Year; Melissa White from Soar Valley Dental Practice in Leicestershire won Treatment Coordinator of the Year; and Christine Ferguson, also from Perfect 32, won Administrator of the Year. The ADAM conference proved a great success all round with feedback praising the quality of the programme, the relevance of topics and the overall value for money.

Four students have graduated from The Dentistry Business' dental practice management courses, accredited by the University of Chester. The first student to graduate at postgraduate level is practice manager Saul Rubins, while Kristy Cunningham, Lynn McGauley, Linas Bielskis and Sigute Bielskiene graduated from the undergraduate level course.

Dave Martin is the new chairman of the British Association of Dental Therapists (BADT), replacing Kira Stearns. Dave worked as a crown and bridge technician for 12 years before qualifying as a dental hygienist in the late 1990s and then going on to study part time to become a dental therapist; he is a past winner of Dental Therapist of the Year.

On 8 May 2012 the dental hygienists/therapists graduating from The Greater Manchester School for Dental Care Professionals were presented with their diplomas by the Dean of the Faculty of General Dental Practice of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Mr Russ Ladwa. The ceremony took place at the impressive Royal College of Surgeons building in London. Most of the graduates have gained places on Vocational Training Schemes in the Greater Manchester area.

NHS Lanarkshire picked up two awards at the 2012 Dental Awards. Elaine Sharp, senior oral health educator at Douglas Street Community Health Clinic, Hamilton, was named Oral Health Promoter of the Year and NHS Lanarkshire's Oral Health Team was named Team of the Year (North).

Registered Dental Nurses Christine Horbury and Maggie Nash both graduated from the University of Kent with a BSc (Hons) in Primary Dental Care in July. Christine, who appeared in the article Diary of an undergraduate dental nurse in the summer issue of Vital, also received the Smile-on prize for Academic Progress and Maggie was awarded the University of Kent Social Science Rotary Prize for Distinguished Performance in Examinations.