BDS PhD FDSRCS FHEA FDT FFGDP FCGDent

Clinical Professor of Dental Education at King’s College London and an NHS Consultant in Restorative Dentistry at the King’s College London Dental Institute at Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals. Specialist in Prosthodontics and in Restorative Dentistry.

Programme Director for the internationally popular MClinDent (Fixed & Removable Prosthodontics) at KCL now in its 26th year, currently with 145 registered clinicians and numerous graduates in over 60 countries practising a higher level of clinical dentistry. In the past set up the highly successful MSc programmes in Aesthetic Dentistry and also Advanced General Dental Practice by blended learning at the KCL Dental Institute. Established overseas training in Prosthodontics.

With 45 years experience in clinical practice and currently an active specialist clinician in both hospital and private practice, particularly in treating tooth wear, aesthetic and occlusal problems utilising MI philosophies where possible. Involved in setting up online referrals and triage in Restorative Dentistry and improved referral pathways for the NHS.

Experienced teacher to undergraduates, foundation dentists, general practitioners and postgraduate dentists. Well-known provider of postgraduate education nationally and internationally at conferences through lectures, seminars, webinars and hands-on courses.

Published over 180 papers, supervised over 200 students at PhD and Masters level, involved in setting up MOOCs with over 20,000 students. Series Editor of three books on Essentials in Esthetic Dentistry. As well leading on the silencing of the dental drill collaboration, research includes management of occlusal problems using MI techniques, bringing together aesthetics and function with a focus on tooth preservation.

The Digital Impact

The emergence of the Digital Era is having an impact on many aspects of prosthodontics, both promising and concerning, as we move from the past to a digital future. This overview will consider both aspects with a focus on the use of AI. We are well aware of the improved Prosthodontic workflow and planning capabilities with emerging printing technology offerring practical solutions. Our patients now benefit from online referrals and I will report on our Dental Electronic Referral Service (DERS) which provides more rapid processing of cases and the ability to get advice as part of triage. Digital records have been in place for some time with lost notes replaced by lost passwords. A current project is investigating the scanning of dentures in care homes for rapid printed replacements when dentures are lost. Access to education has improved with more widespread availability and acceptance of online content and webinars. Our most popular prosthodontic programme by far is via blended learning. However the widespread use of AI has adversely affected the assessment of our students rendering the open-book written assessments worthless. The impact on learning is unknown as dentists increasingly use AI to suggest diagnoses and fabricate treatment plans. AI generated treatment has starting and we will see an increasing use of robotic systems in endodontics and prosthodontics. The future of Prosthodontics will be exciting.