This year the Dentistry Top 50 poll was again inundated with a record number of votes from readers of Dentistry magazine and Dentistry.co.uk.

A big congratulations goes to Earl Howe, who topped the polls for the first time.

Alongside the Dentistry Top 50 we ran the Lifetime Contribution Award, which was given to the person you felt made the most significant contribution to UK dentistry.

Another big congratulations goes to Edward Lynch who won this award and also featured highly on the Dentistry Top 50 too.

See below to see who came where in the Dentistry Top 50 powered by:

 

 

The results

1. Earl Howe
2. Barry Cockcroft
3. Evlynne Gilvarry
4. Kevin Lewis
5. John Milne
6. James Goolnik
7. Tony Kilcoyne
8. Andrew Lansley
9. Edward Lynch
10. David Cameron
11. Zaki Kanaan
12. Ashley Latter
13. Christopher Orr
14. Matthew Perkins
15. Tif Qureshi
16. Linda Greenwall
17. Amarjit Gill
18. Nilesh Parmar
19. Laura Horton
20. Peter Ward
21. Sir Paul Beresford
22. Avijit Banerjee
23. Michael Watson
24. Seema Sharma
25. Chris Barrow
26. Gordon Christensen
27. Sia Mirfendereski
28. Ellis Paul
29. Simon Gambold
30. Martin Kelleher
31. Judith Husband
32. Monik Vasant
33. Mhari Coxon
34. Neesha Patel
35. Nairn Wilson
36. Jimmy Steele
37. Kevin Rose
38. Julian English
39. Trevor Burke
40. Raj Rattan
41. Damien Walmsley
42. Crispian Scully
43. Derrick Willmot
44. Sue Gregory
45. Pam Swain
46. Reena Wadia
47. Melonie Prebble
48. Tobias Kounsul
49. Norman Bloom
50. Amit Patel

To see an image and read a brief biography about why they were voted into the Top 50 scroll down.

1. Earl Howe

Last year: 23

Lord Howe is the minister responsible for dentistry. He has been parliamentary undersecretary of state in the Department of Health since May 2010. Born in 1951, he was educated at Rugby School and Christ Church, Oxford. After leaving university in 1973, he joined Barclays Bank and served in a number of managerial and senior managerial posts both overseas and in London. In 1991, Lord Howe became a government whip in the House of Lords with responsibilities successively for transport, employment, defence and the environment. Following the general election of 1992, he was appointed parliamentary secretary (Lords) at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; and in 1995 parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Ministry of Defence, a post he relinquished at the 1997 general election. Between 1997 and 2010, he was opposition spokesman for Health and Social Services in the House of Lords. He is an elected hereditary peer under the provisions of the House of Lords Act 1999. Apart from his frontbench responsibilities, Earl Howe has previously been a member of the all-party groups on penal affairs, abuse investigations, pharmaceuticals, adoption, mental health and epilepsy. He was appointed as a privy counsellor in 2013.

2. Barry Cockcroft

Last year: 1

Chief dental officer (CDO) Barry Cockcroft qualified from Birmingham Dental School in 1973. He worked for 27 years in, mainly NHS, general dental practice before joining the Department of Health as deputy chief dental officer (England) in November 2002. He was appointed chief dental officer (England) in July 2006. Prior to his appointment as CDO, he had served on the Warwickshire Local Dental Committee, including terms as chairman and secretary, been chairman of the West Midlands Association of LDCs and was elected to the General Dental Services Committee of the BDA in 1990. In 2000 he led the work on the section of the consultation paper, Options for Change, on systems of delivery of dental care. Following the recent restructuring of the health and social care system, he provides clinical and professional advice and leadership to NHS England, the Department of Health and Health Education England. Away from dentistry, he served as a magistrate on the Warwickshire bench between 1992 and 2000 and is married with three children. Barry received a CBE in 2009 for services to dentistry.

3. Evlynne Gilvarry

Last year: 3

Evlynne Gilvarry is chief executive and registrar of the General Dental Council (GDC). She took over as chief executive and registrar of the GDC in October 2010. She joined the GDC from the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC), the statutory regulator of osteopathy in the UK, where she’d worked as chief executive and registrar since November 2007. Previously she worked in various senior policy and management roles at the Law Society, the regulator and professional body for solicitors in England and Wales. She is a qualified lawyer and mediator.

4. Kevin Lewis

Last year: 2

A former three-time winner of this poll, Kevin scores an impressive fourth place. A popular name in the industry, his writing – in particular his long-running column in Dentistry magazine commenting on issues affecting the dental profession – are read by many practitioners. Kevin qualified from The London Hospital in 1971. During 30 years in general practice he developed special interests in preventive dentistry and practice management. He became involved in the medicolegal field in 1989, joining the board of Dental Protection Limited, and became its dental director in 1998, a post he still holds. He is a member of the executive committee and council of the Medical Protection Society. From 1981-2006 he was the associate editor of Dental Practice, and is now a regular columnist for Dentistry magazine, where he has become renowned for his vibrant and witty prose, imparting his considered and well-respected insight into UK dentistry in his own inimitable style. In recent years he has been awarded fellowships from the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) and the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in recognition of his sterling and long-running commitment to serving the dental profession.

5. John Milne

New entry

John Milne qualified from Leeds Dental Institute in 1980. Formerly a clinical assistant in Orthodontics at Pinderfields Hospital, John is now a dental practitioner based near Wakefield in West Yorkshire, he is a partner in a mainly NHS practice. John was elected as the chair of the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee (GDPC) in 2009. John, the representative for GDPC’s Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield constituency, is a long-serving member of the committee having been a member since its inception in 2003 and was a member of its predecessor, the GDSC, for three years. He has also served the profession extensively at local level and is currently assistant secretary of Wakefield Local Dental Committee. John was also dental practice advisor to Wakefield PCT for many years and represents the BDA on the National Steering Group for NHS contract reform.

6. James Goolnik

Last year: 8

Two-time winner of the poll in 2011 and 2012, James is the founder of the Bow Lane Dental Group and author of the best-selling book Brush, the profits of which go to dental charity Dentaid. He is a trustee of ‘Heart Your Smile’, an inspirational campaign aimed at improving oral care by getting people to visit the dentist. He is a past-president of the BACD and is currently consulting for Colgate professional. James qualified in 1992 from King’s College London. He has worked exclusively in the city since 1995. James has a master’s degree in conservative dentistry from the Eastman Dental Institute. He lectures internationally on subjects such as tooth whitening techniques, minimally invasive dentistry and marketing. He is recognised as one of the top cosmetic dentists in the country, writing for numerous publications having recently produced a consumers Oral Survival Guide.

7. Tony Kilcoyne

Last year: 61

Tony Kilcoyne is a specialist in prosthodontics in his own referral practice in Haworth, West Yorkshire. He is also a full-time/vocational training advisor for Yorkshire deanery, clinical director of 4everlearning.com and UK clinical advisor for Fastbraces. Tony has recently spearheaded the professional public campaign to expose ‘The Big Lie’ about NHS dentistry in England. Tony is a former GDC council member for 10 years and former examiner for the Royal College of Surgeons London for 10 years. Tony was selected as one of the dentists to provide comprehensive dental care for the Olympic international athletes in the Olympic Village London 2012. He is a popular lecturer on many clinical and practice management subjects and firmly believes what is bad for dentists and their teams, is bad for the public too.

8. Andrew Lansley

Last year: 118

Andrew Lansley CBE MP was elected as Member of Parliament for south Cambridgeshire in May 1997. Andrew was appointed as leader of the House of Commons in September 2012. Prior to taking up this role, he served as secretary of state for health following the general election in 2010. As MP for south Cambridgeshire, Andrew is a strong supporter of local business, enterprise and innovation and an advocate for the area’s science and technology hub. Andrew comes from a public service family. His father was working in the NHS from the day it was created in 1948, and he went on to run the pathology lab at East Ham Memorial Hospital for 30 years. His eldest brother trained as a teacher and his middle brother is a policeman. In his previous role as secretary of state for health, Andrew frequently visited hospitals and GPs across the country. Andrew was educated at Brentwood School, Essex and the University of Exeter, where he was president of the guild for students. He began his own career as a civil servant, working at the Department of Trade & Industry.

9. Edward Lynch

Last year: 20

Voted number one in our Top 50 poll in 2010, Edward Lynch is still making the top 10. Having been professor of restorative dentistry and gerodontology, Queen’s University Belfast for many years, Edward moved in 2010 to be head of dentistry, University of Warwick. He dramatically improved the reputation and profile of Warwick Dentistry leading to record numbers of students every year. Edward has been awarded 90 research grants (totaling over £5 million), successfully supervised more than 50 MSc, MPhil and PhD students, been awarded many prizes for his research and has more than 500 publications. He is a specialist in restorative dentistry, endodontics and prosthodontics as well as being a BUPA specialist in oral surgery. Edward’s excellent reputation earned him the UK Outstanding Achievement Award at the Dentistry Awards in December 2010, in 2012 he was elected president of the Pharmacology, Therapeutics and Toxicology Research Groups, International Association for Dental Research, in 2012, he was the first UK dentist to ever achieve Fellowship of The American Society for Dental Aesthetics. In 2013 he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Services to Research and Teaching at the prestigious IAOHD Dentistry conference in Las Vegas and in June 2013 was awarded, from his University, one of the 10 WATE (Warwick Awards for Teaching Excellence) awards for his teaching. He has more than 3370 citations on Google Scholar. He is highly sought after to lecture at numerous prestigious world courses and is an exceptionally esteemed teacher, researcher and clinician.

10. David Cameron

Last year: 7

Prime Minister, David Cameron, has once again made the Top 50, down slightly from last year. Many of those who voted may well have felt that more influence lies with the government figurehead when it comes to issues of dental industry reform, rather than some of those lower down the pecking order but more closely immersed in the sector. David became prime minister in May 2010 after a general election where his Conservative Party won almost 100 additional seats but the result ended in a hung parliament. Now leading a Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition, the first time in over a half a century when two British parties have joined to form a partnership government, he has perhaps become best known for his belief in social responsibility rather than state control, setting out his vision of building the ‘Big Society’ by giving individuals, families and communities more power and control over their lives.

11. Zaki Kanaan

Last year: 28

Zaki is currently president of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is a highly experienced and respected implant and cosmetic dentist who routinely mentors other dentists using the latest techniques with various implant systems. He lectures nationally and internationally on various aspects of dentistry with a special interest in dental implants, where he has achieved a masters degree from the world renowned Guy’s Hospital in 2001. He also has a diploma in dental sedation, a diploma in hypnosis and is a licenciate of the Faculty of Homeopathy. Zaki recently topped the list in Private Dentistry’s poll of the top 20 Elite Dentists in the UK in January this year, after coming runner up for two years previously. He has also been voted ‘UK Dentist of the Year’ at the Dental Awards in 2012. Through his expertise in tooth whitening procedures, he has been appointed UK dental advisor to Philips Oral Healthcare. As well as being a past president of The London Dental Fellowship, he sits on the editorial board for The International Journal of Cosmetic Dentistry and was an editorial consultant for Dental Implant Summaries for several years. He has regularly appeared on Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies programme carrying out complex implant treatments. Zaki runs a successful practice, K2 Dental in Fulham, with his wife Dominique and works at several prestigious private practices in central London.

12. Ashley Latter

Last year: 27

Ashley is now one of the most sought after speakers and coaches on the UK dental scene. Eighteen years ago, two dentists took part on Ashley’s two-day Ethical Sales & Communication Programme and since then, over 7000 delegates have taken the programme worldwide. Ashley has delivered this programme all over Europe, Canada and in 2013/14 delivered his programmes in the USA. Ashley has now delivered over 22,000 hours of business coaching to the dental and he is the author of three books. He helps dentists and their teams to improve communication with their patients, resulting in an improved patient journey, more patients saying yes to treatment plans and increased profits for the practices.

13. Christopher Orr

Last year: 9

Dr Christopher Orr is a past president and accredited member of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and also a certified member of the European Society of Cosmetic Dentistry. He has lectured widely in the UK and internationally and runs a one-year course in cosmetic dentistry and aesthetic restorative dentistry for general dentists from his practice and teaching facility in central London.

14. Matthew Perkins

Last year: 15

Matthew Perkins is a registered specialist in periodontics and dedicates his practice to periodontology and implant dentistry. He is the owner of MODUS Advanced Dental Clinic and practicalperio.org, which provides periodontal education to the whole dental team. Matthew has a relaxed style, helping nervous patients to feel comfortable whilst having treatment. He has extensive experience in referral periodontal cases, the treatment of peri-implantitis, periodontal plastic surgery and those patients who require implant therapy. Matthew is a member of the British Society of Periodontology, the International Team in Implantology, The Association of Dental Implantology and the International Congress of Oral Implantology. Matthew is a registered speaker and mentor for the ITI and regularly teaches other dentists how to place and restore dental implants.

15. Tif Qureshi

Last year: 11

Tif Qureshi qualified from King’s College London in 1992. He is the past president of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Tif is an outspoken advocate of ethically approached aesthetic dentistry. He is a partner at Dental Elegance in Sidcup, Kent, where he practises minimally invasive dentistry. Tif has a special interest in simple orthodontics using removable appliances and was the first dentist in the UK to pioneer the Inman Aligner and the first dentist in the world to use the aligner as a major tool for cosmetic dentistry. Tif has completed nearly 1000 cases using aligners as a stand-alone treatment and to align teeth before cosmetic dentistry. Tif also pioneered the concept of progressive smile design through alignment bleaching, bonding and is also an experienced teacher in the Dahl concept, to assist in minimally invasive dentistry, and the concept of interceptive restorative dentistry. Tif now lectures extensively nationally and internationally and has had many articles published on all these subjects.

16. Linda Greenwall

Last year: 17

Linda has been an influential figure to many dentists throughout her career, which began when she graduated in her native South Africa in 1984. She then moved to London to work in general practice and began to specialise in restorative dentistry before developing a special interest in tooth whitening, which she researched as part of her MSc studies. In 1993, she set up her own multi-disciplinary practice in Hampstead, London (Heath Health Care), which she still runs, and is a specialist in prosthodontics and restorative dentistry. She has also written an award-winning book on tooth whitening and is the editor-in-chief of Aesthetic Dentistry Today. In 2008, Linda launched the British Dental Bleaching Society, which lobbies for changes in the controversial bleaching legislation and to educate dentists who carry out tooth whitening. As its chairman, she played a major role in establishing the society’s first BDBS conference in London Victoria in June 2010.

17. Amarjit Gill

Last year: 12

Dr Amarjit Gill is a preventative and cosmetic dentist. He is also is a lecturer, entrepreneur and businessman based in Nottingham. In 2010, he served as president of the British Dental Association. Amarjit has been the last chief dental officer for Practice Plan and chief dental adviser for Phillips Healthcare. He qualified from the Royal Dental Hospital London and he lectures around the world on the future of dentistry. Amarjit is a founder member of the International Tooth Whitening Association and has been a postgraduate dental tutor, an acclaimed lecturer and sought-after public speaker both in the UK and abroad. He has received many awards including Outstanding Achievement for Private Practice in 2012. He is also an invited fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy and the International Academy of Dental Facial Aesthetics.

18. Nilesh Parmar

Last year: 24

Dr Nilesh Parmar was voted Best Young Dentist in the East of England in 2009 and runner up in 2010. He was shortlisted at the Private Dentistry Awards in the category of Outstanding Individual 2011 and received highly commended for Best Dentist South at the 2013 Dental Awards. Nilesh has a masters degree in prosthetic dentistry from the Eastman Dental Institute and a masters degree in clinical implantology from King’s College London. He is one of the few dentists in the UK to have a degree from all three London dental schools and has recently obtained his certificate in orthodontics from Warwick University. His main area of interest is in dental implants and Cerec CAD/CAM technology. Currently studying for his MBA at Imperial College, London, Nilesh runs a successful seven-surgery practice close to London and is a visiting implant dentist to two central London practices. Nilesh has a never-ending passion for his work and is famed for his attention to detail and belief that every patient he sees should become a patient for life. He also offers training and mentoring to dentists starting out in implant dentistry.

19. Laura Horton

Last year: 22

Laura has an outstanding passion for, and knowledge of, dentistry. Her passion lies with the training and implementation of the TCO (treatment coordinator) role, and she has been responsible for the breakthrough and education of this role in the UK dental profession. Laura has been successfully working with dentists and their teams since 2005 and, through her own company, since 2008. She has a ‘sleeves rolled up’ attitude and thrives in her unique hands on style of delivery. She has helped dental practices to achieve high levels of success with her understanding of the UK market and behavioural attitudes of the public. Laura knows that each practice is different and that this must be taken into account, as well as the individual needs of the principals/partners, associates and team.

20. Peter Ward

Last year: 6

Peter Ward is the chief executive of the British Dental Association (BDA). He took up the position in March 2006, having held a variety of roles in other organisations. Peter qualified as a dentist from Liverpool Dental School in 1982 and spent the first 13 years after qualification in general practice. Whilst in practice he also served on local BDA committees and was secretary of Lancashire Local Dental Committee. In 1995 Peter became the chief dental adviser to the Dental Practice Board of England and Wales, where he was responsible for the Dental Reference Service and the Dental Policy Unit. He moved on from the DPB to work in corporate dentistry, firstly with Dencare, and latterly as the chief operating officer of Oasis Dental Care. Peter went on to own a consultancy business, working with a range of dental companies looking at routes to market. Peter is passionate about the BDA’s mission to improve the working lives of dentists, which he believes is fundamental to the maintenance and improvement of the nation’s oral health.

21. Sir Paul Beresford

Last year: 76

Sir Paul Beresford is New Zealand born and bred. He is married with four children, three sons and one daughter. He graduated in dentistry in New Zealand and spent a year at the Eastman Dental Hospital. Sir Paul first practised in the east end of London before moving to the west end. Sir Paul joined the Putney Conservatives and was elected to Wandsworth Council in 1978. He has held a wide variety of positions as a councillor, spending just short of 10 years as leader. He celebrated the three years of the poll tax by setting the lowest in England for the first year and zero for the second and third years. He was knighted in January 1990 for his contribution to inner city rehabilitation. Sir Paul was elected Member of Parliament for Croydon Central in April 1992. He was a minister in the Department of the Environment from 1994 — May 1997. He has been a member of parliament for Mole Valley since May 1997. Currently he is on five select committees and chairs and three all party groups (including the Dentistry APPG). Most recently Sir Paul has been pushing for the vaccination against the human papilloma virus (HPV) to be extended to boys rather than just girls as at present. This is because the HPV has a causative role in oral cancer. Such action could bring ‘herd immunity’ and in time drastically reduce oral cancer.

22. Avijit Banerjee

New entry

Avijit is professor of cariology and operative dentistry/honourable consultant and clinical lead, restorative dentistry at King’s College London Dental Institute at Guy’s Hospital (Guy’s & St. Thomas’ Hospitals Trust). He holds the positions of head of conservative and minimum intervention (MI) dentistry, associate director of education (UG) and programme director of the innovative KCL distance-learning masters in advanced minimum intervention dentistry (AMID). He also leads the cariology and MI operative dentistry research programme at the dental institute and acts as a research and development key opinion leader for many industry partners. Avijit is primary author of Pickard’s Manual of Operative Dentistry, a definitive and globally respected text in its field of MI dentistry. He is an editorial board member of Dental Update, BDJ and the Primary Dental Journal, member of the BDA Health & Science Committee, all whilst maintaining a wet-fingered specialist practice in restorative dentistry, prosthodontics and periodontics.

23. Michael Watson

New entry

Michael Watson qualified 50 years ago and started his career in the Royal Army Dental Corps. Retiring in 1979 he set up a general dental practice in Manningtree. In the 80s he became secretary of the GDPA and was the first editor of its journal the General Dental Practitioner. Moving to the BDA in 1991 he spent the rest if his career as a political adviser and editing BDA news. Since retiring he has continued writing and is a regular contributor to dentistry.co.uk and Dentistry magazine along with being the news correspondent for both. Michael now spends more time at a time-share on Gran Canaria and reducing the kid’s inheritance on cruise ships.

24. Seema Sharma

Last year: 16

Seema Sharma’s career is sprinkled with a list of achievements that are a testimonial to the fact that success comes to those who innovate and embrace change. Having won a business award presented by Richard Branson for her first practice at the age of 24, she went on to build a substantial portfolio of dental practices and properties, becoming a role model for young women climbing the ladder in dentistry today. She hung up her gloves to establish Dentabyte, which helps practices to accelerate growth and achieve its full potential through one to one business consulting, accredited Institute of Leadership and Management diplomas, and interactive learning and management software. Seema has been appointed honorary lecturer in healthcare entrepreneurship and management at the Dental Institute, King’s College London and is currently reading a masters in business administration (MBA) at Imperial, which she describes as transformative. In her inimitable style, and typifying her ‘can-do’ attitude, she appeared on Channel 4’s ‘Slumdog Secret Millionaire’ in 2010 and founded a charity to support education for underprivileged children. She is currently rolling out ‘Mumbai Experiences’ (www.mumbaiexperiences.org), a collaborative national schools project with The British Asian Trust, one of the Prince’s charities. She is also a founding member of Heart your Smile, a dental charity working to improve uptake of dental services and put the dental profession at the heart of healthcare. Seema is married to Sanjay Sharma, professor of cardiology, and they have two teenage daughters.

25. Chris Barrow

Last year: 49

Chris Barrow has been a consultant, trainer and coach to the UK dental profession for over 21 years. In 1987 Chris was active in the establishment of the Institute for Financial Planning, an organisation representing the first fee-based financial planners, Chris specialised in working with small businesses. In 1993 Chris decided to make the transition to business coaching and became one of the first UK students at Coach University, from where he graduated as a certified coach. Recognising the opportunity in the dental profession, 1997 saw Chris create of The Dental Business School (DBS) and the development of a 12-month business coaching programme for dental practice owners and their teams, delivered to over 1000 UK dental practices in the following 10 years. His main focus now is on 7connections, a privately-owned company that specialises in creating business systems and coaching the best managers and principals in independent dentistry, with clients across the UK, Ireland and continental Europe. Chris has also co-authored two books on the business of dentistry – Profitable Dental Practice and The E-Myth Dentist.

26. Gordon Christensen

Last year: 18

Founder and director of Practical Clinical Courses and CEO of Clinicians Report Foundation in Provo, Utah, Dr Christensen has presented more than 45,000 hours of continuing education throughout the world and has published many articles and books. Gordon’s degrees include: DDS, University of Southern California; MSD, University of Washington; PhD, University of Denver; and two honorary doctorates. Early in his career, Gordon helped initiate the University of Kentucky and University of Colorado dental schools and taught at the University of Washington. Recently he has spoken at captivating FMC events in London.

27. Sia Mirfendereski

Last year: 29

Sia is principle of two dental practices across London as well as holding the post of honorary associate clinical professor at the University of Warwick. He is a specialist in prosthodontics and runs a practice in Wimpole Street, London, called the Wimpole Dental Office. He has been a part time lecturer both in conservative dentistry, which is now called restorative dentistry, and part time lecturer in Oral and Maxillo-facial surgery at the Royal London Hospital. Sia also does consultancy dental work for Chelsea football team. Sia is on the board of the British Dental Bleaching Society. Sia has lectured extensively regarding dental bleaching in the UK and internationally.

28. Ellis Paul

Last year: 13

Ellis Paul is recognised as the leading authority on correct working posture and four-handed dentistry, which he pioneered. He has lectured all over the world, written countless articles, three definitive books and made a CD. He was one of the first totally private practitioners. Ellis is a former chairman of the BDA’s Private Practice Committee. In 2007 Ellis was awarded the rare honour of being made a fellow of the BDA for his services to dentistry and in 2011 was made an honorary fellow of the Faculty of General Practice of the Royal College of London. He has been editor-in-chief of Private Dentistry since 1996.

29. Simon Gambold

New entry

Simon is managing director of the UK dental business for Henry Schein. He joined HSUK in July 1994 as general manager for one of the mail order business units, following a career in marketing and sales, most recently with WH Smith plc as marketing manager of its office supplies division. Following a three-year period leading the mail order business through a 75% growth in sales, he took on responsibility for the other mail order business units, leading to a full sales and marketing role for the dental group in 2002. Simon graduated in business studies before completing a two-year training placement at Pitney Bowes, where he worked on all aspects of the marketing function, before taking on the role of supervisor of the direct mail team. Following a period in field sales he joined a manufacturer of personal protective equipment as product manager, before moving to WH Smith. During his time there, in addition to his marketing role, he had responsibility for implementing ISO9000 quality systems and was on the implementation team for its new business system. Simon holds the diploma of the Market Research Society, is a fellow of the Institute of Direct Marketing and is a council member and immediate past president of the British Dental Trade Association, a trustee of the British Dental Health Foundation and co chair of the Henry Schein International Oral Health Advisory Committee. In addition he represents the UK at the Association of Dental Dealers of Europe and the industry on the All Party Parliamentary Group on Dentistry, Stakeholder Group. Living in the village of Charing Heath, 15 miles from the UK Gillingham facility, he is married to Gillian with two daughters, Millie and Olivia (aged 18 and 15 respectively) and enjoys sailing.

30. Martin Kelleher

Last year: 66

Martin Kelleher is a consultant in restorative dentistry at King’s College London Dental Institute. He is a fellow of the Glasgow and Edinburgh Royal Colleges. He is on the GDC specialist lists in restorative dentistry and prosthodontics and is a past president of the British Society for Restorative Dentistry. He was on the board of Dental Protection until 2010 and chaired its advisory committee on dental claims. He has lectured and written extensively on minimally destructive aesthetic dentistry, the worn dentition, bleaching, bonding, ethical and medico-legal aspects of dentistry, clinical decision making in managing compromised dentitions and management of the ageing dentition. He currently works in a private restorative practice in Bromley, Kent.

31. Judith Husband

Last year: 5

Dr Judith Husband is chair of the British Dental Association’s (BDA) Education, Ethics and the Dental Team Working Group, together with providing clinical care and service reviews in prisons. Actively involved with the BDA, she has a wide range of experience including NHS healthcare reforms, liaising with significant stakeholders, especially in relation to postgraduate dental education and professional regulation. Experience has been gained on the executive board of the BDA together with advisory roles in a variety of commercial organisations related to the wider dental market, all supported by formal Institute of Directors qualifications, certificate and diploma in company direction.

32. Monik Vasant

Last year: 21

Dr Monik Vasant is a rising star in UK dentistry and has a special interest in minimally invasive aesthetic dentistry. Having qualified in 2003 he spent several years in general practice before opening the Freshdental clinic, which now has clinics in London and Greater Manchester. His postgraduate studies have taken him around the world and he has an MSc in aesthetic and restorative dentistry. In addition to his clinical work he lectures regularly on various postgraduate courses with topics such as restorative and aesthetic dentistry, whilst also running his own nationwide three part course entitled ‘Totally composite’ in association with Coltene. He is a member of the University of Birmingham’s product testing ‘prep’ panel and is a key opinion leader for Coltene, Cfast and Orascoptic UK. He regularly appears in the media on dental matters including appearances on programmes such as GMTV, ITN News, The One Show, Goks Style Secrets and BBC radio. Monik has authored chapters in both editions of the Messages from dental masters series of books and his own book Smile Art is proudly held in the British Library.

33. Mhari Coxon

Last year: 14

Mhari has over 20 years’ experience in dentistry in the UK, working clinically first as a dental nurse, receptionist, oral health advisor and ultimately hygienist in a variety of practice and hospital environments. She is passionate about her profession and was an educator from 2003-2011 in dental hospitals with students, before ultimately running her own CPD and marketing consultant company. At present, she works as a senior professional marketing and relations manager for Philips Oral Healthcare UK and Ireland. She is also a trustee for the BDHF and past council member of the BSDHT. Throughout her career, Mhari has developed hygiene protocols and preventive plans in practices that have continued to be used with great success. A keen writer, Mhari is the sub editor of The Primary Dental Journal – journal of the FGDP (UK) and was on the publications committee of Dental Health, the British Society of Hygiene and Therapy (BSDHT) journal for four years previously. She is also a contributing editorial board member for DH&T. As a speaker Mhari has presented regionally, nationally and internationally for many groups including Talking Points in Dentistry, the British Orthodontic Society Specialist group, the BSDHT, the BDA, the BSP, the International Symposium of Dental Hygiene, the Dentistry Show, Irish Dental Association and Irish Dental Hygienists Association as well as many others. She is also a registered ITI speaker on dental implants.

34. Neesha Patel

New entry

Neesha Patel is a specialist periodontist and practice principal at Pure Periodontics. She is also a consultant periodontist and course director for postgraduate training in clinical periodontology at King’s College Hospital, London. In addition to her work at Pure Periodontics and King’s College Hospital, Neesha also lectures extensively on continuing education courses and was periodontal lead for the 2013-2014 London Deanery DF1 induction. As principal of Pure Periodontics, she is the current holder of the Private Dentistry Award for ‘Best Periodontic Practice’, an award that is built on a fundamental ethos of solely providing specialist periodontal treatment thus avoiding any potential conflict of interest concerns for referring dentists.

35. Nairn Wilson

Last year: 10

Professor Nairn Wilson is honorary professor of dentistry at King’s College London, where he was professor of restorative dentistry and dean and head of the college’s internationally renowned dental institute between 2001 and 2012, and deputy vice principal (health) between 2009 and 2012. He was recently elected president-elect of the British Dental Association. Nairn Wilson’s many other positions have included editor of the Journal of Dentistry (1986-2000), president of the General Dental Council (1999-2003), co-chair of the Forum of European Heads and Deans of Dental Schools (2007- 2012) and more recently president of the Royal Odontchirurigical Society of Scotland (2103-2014). His interests and special expertise include healthcare regulation, international trends in dental education and future developments in the clinical practice of dentistry. He continues to author and edit many different contributions of dental literature. His latest award was the 2013 Dentistry Lifetime Contribution Award.

36. Jimmy Steele

Last year: 122

Jimmy became a household name in the dental sector in 2009 when he led and authored the independent review into NHS dental services, which had been commissioned by the government following the damning report into the controversial 2006 new contract reforms of the Commons Health Select Committee published the previous year. Jimmy received much credit for his thorough investigation, which took many months and led to him making several recommendations on improving oral health, increasing access and ensuring high quality dental care for patients. He is the head of school and professor of oral health services research at Newcastle University’s School of Dental Sciences, with expertise in the epidemiology of oral disease, including predicting future trends in oral health, the impact of tooth loss on diet and function among older adults and the social determinants of oral health. He believes that patients and dentists share the responsibility for good oral health and that the provision of a wide range of more complex dental treatments on the NHS should generally depend on first having a healthy and clean oral environment, and that supporting the latter is a priority for the NHS.

37. Kevin Rose

Last year: 34

Revered to by many as an inspirational mentor, Kevin Rose is now firmly established as a positive force in the dental sector. His unique brand of business leadership is founded on 20 successful years in financial services. From establishing operating companies for major finance houses, to managing complex change programs, Kevin has always maintained high standards that have become his trademark. By applying the coaching he has picked up, Kevin aims to reveal the potential in a dental business simply by helping to identify the need for change, and developing a considered programme of delivery.

38. Julian English

Last year: 36

Experienced in dental publishing, Julian maintains his position in Dentistry’s Top 50. With more than 18 years’ experience at the helm of multi-award-winning Dentistry magazine and numerous other dental journals, editorial director of FMC, Julian is a well-known face in the dental publishing industry. He is also a member of the editorial committee of the British Dental Trade Association. Julian attends many events at home and overseas throughout the year.

39. Trevor Burke

Last year: 33

Trevor Burke graduated at Queens University Belfast, and, following appointments in the School of Dentistry, Belfast, he worked in general dental practice from 1974 to 1992 in Manchester, also working part time at the unit of restorative dentistry at the University of Manchester. He was appointed senior research fellow in 1991, senior lecturer in dental practice at the University of Manchester in 1992 and professor of dental primary care at the University of Glasgow in 1996. He moved to his present position as professor of primary dental care at the University of Birmingham and honorary consultant in restorative dentistry in 2000. Trevor has also been appointed editorial director of Dental Update and chair of the Board of Dental Protection. His principle activities include the treatment of patients often referred because of tooth wear, course director of a masters course and research. Trevor has authored 260 papers published in peer-reviewed journals and written three books. He has been awarded over 75 research grants.

40. Raj Rattan

New entry

Raj is a general dental practitioner and maintains his commitment to clinical dentistry at his practices in London and Oxford. He is also a senior dento-legal consultant at Dental Protection Ltd, strategic associate dean in the London Deanery and a former policy adviser to the Department of Health. Raj has authored/co-authored several textbooks and has lectured extensively in the UK and overseas. Outside dentistry, he lists his interests as creative writing, motor sport and magic. He is an award-winning member of the Magic Circle and performs on a regular basis.

41. Damien Walmsley

Last year: 84

Damien is the professor of restorative dentistry at the University of Birmingham. As scientific advisor to the British Dental Association, he has a high media profile commenting on scientific matters related to dentistry. Recent appearances include Breakfast News and Watchdog Test House and he is quoted in the national newspapers on a regular basis. Internationally he is president of the Association for Dental Education in Europe representing 80% of dental schools in Europe. Damien’s day job includes being a successful clinician, educator and researcher with an active interest in the latest mobile technologies.

42. Crispian Scully

Last year: 30

Crispian Scully is a consultant at HCA International, London; honorary consultant at University College London Hospitals (UCLH); UCL emeritus professor; professor at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh King James IV; director of WHO Collaborating Centre for Oral Health-General Health; president of the British Society for Oral Medicine; member and examiner for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Council; editor for Oral Diseases and Medicina Oral; and associate editor for the Journal of Investigative & Clinical Dentistry. He is on three specialist lists of the General Dental Council. Crispian has been dean at the University of Bristol and at UCL. He is the immediate past-president of the International Academy of Oral Oncology. Crispian has been awarded the Colgate-Palmolive Prize of International Association for Dental Research; fellowships of all UK and Irish Royal Colleges of Surgeons, Academy of Medical Sciences, UCL and Society of Biology; he has received university doctorates from Athens, Granada, Helsinki and Pretoria, medals from Helsinki, Granada and Santiago de Compostela; and oral medicine awards in Spanish, Greek and Romanian societies. He has also been awarded the UK award for Most Outstanding Achievements in Dentistry, and the distinction of Commander of the British Empire (CBE). Crispian has presented continuing education programmes worldwide. He has a H factor of 54; RG of 50.63; citations 9622; more than 1000 Medline papers, 400 research papers, 200 reviews, 150 chapters, 50 clinical papers; and 45 books (34 authored and 11 edited).

43. Derrick Willmot

New entry

Derrick recently retired as NHS consultant orthodontist in Sheffield, but remains emeritus professor at the University. Until recently he was dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons. He qualified at University College, London, in 1969. Derrick worked in a general dental practice in Derbyshire before returning to University College Hospital in 1977, working in paediatric dentistry and orthodontics. In 1984 Derrick returned to Derbyshire. He was subsequently appointed to a personal chair in orthodontics at the University of Sheffield and was clinical director of the Charles Clifford Dental Hospital for five years. He served the Council of the British Orthodontic Society for many years. Derrick has advised on many orthodontic medico legal matters over 20 years. He currently maintains a part-time private orthodontic practice.

44. Sue Gregory

Last year: 32

As part of the organisational changes in April 2013, Sue moved to the new body Public Health England as director of dental public health, together with the network of consultants in dental public health in England. Immediately before this she was deputy chief dental officer at Department of Health (DH) England from January 2009. As part of her wide portfolio, including dental public health, she was heavily involved in the development and implementation of pilots to test a care pathway and quality and outcomes approach as a basis for reform of the dental contract in England. Prior to moving to DH she worked across Bedfordshire, Luton and Hertfordshire PCTs where she had a long-standing interest in the primary/secondary care interface and ensuring equity of service provision alongside reducing inequalities. She led the development and implementation of the Bedfordshire Orthodontic Personal Dental Services pilot. Sue chaired the joint DH/BASCD working group, which developed ‘Delivering better oral health’ and is a past president of the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry (2006/2007) and British Society for Disability and Oral Health (1992). She has worked on numerous national committees and working groups, including being an invited member of the Board of Faculty of Dental Surgery (RCS England). Sue was also the district dental officer across Bedfordshire and Luton and managed the Community Dental Service.

45. Pam Swain

Last year: 37

Pam, chief executive of the British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN), received both the Dental Awards Outstanding Achievement Award and the BADN Outstanding Contribution to Dental Nursing Award in 2012, when she celebrated 20 years working for BADN. She started out as a student and au pair in Vienna, then worked briefly for the Home Office in London before moving on to Brussels and Bermuda to work in a number of MNEs including CPC International, Hilton International, NATO and the Bank of Bermuda, followed by a year’s sabbatical at the Massage Institute of New England in Boston. Pam began working for the association in 1992 and was also registrar of the Voluntary National Register until its closure in 2005; she is also editor of the British Dental Nurses’ Journal and a regular contributor to many dental journals. Pam, who is a fellow of the Institute of Association Management and a member of the Chartered Management Institute, was awarded the City & Guilds Licentiate in Management in 2005 and a masters in business administration in 2007.

46. Reena Wadia

New entry

Reena qualified from Barts and The London with the prestigious gold medal as well as numerous other undergraduate dental awards. Following general practice, Reena worked as a senior house officer in both restorative dentistry and oral surgery. Currently, she is completing her part-time specialty training in periodontology at Guy’s Hospital. She is also working in general practice at Harley Street Dental Group and Woodford Dental Care. Reena is passionate about education and is currently the programme director for Tubuleslive (Dentinal Tubules). She is a part-time clinical tutor at Barts and The London as well as an ambassador for theyoungdentist.com. Furthermore, Reena enjoys sharing what she learns and is now on the board for the Dentistry, Dental Hygiene & Therapy and Young Dentist magazines. She also endeavours to contribute to the profession through her position as a board member of the Faculty of General Dental Practice as well a committee member for the British Dental Association.

47. Melonie Prebble

New entry

Melonie is an experienced dental hygienist and therapist, having worked in the dental industry for over 20 years. She graduated from The London Hospital in 1995 and has been enhancing her skills and contributing to the industry ever since. Melonie has worked in a range of practices since qualifying, both within the NHS and the private sector. She even took the opportunity to work abroad, spending time studying in America to further develop her skills. Melonie currently offers her services at Abbey Road Dental, in north west London, and the clinic at The Luke Barnett Centre, Watford, Hertfordshire. In both practices Melonie has developed a full range of hygiene and therapy services where there was no established patient base for either service. Melonie’s experience in working for a wide range of practices led to an interest in business development skills, so to support this Melonie became qualified as a master neuro linguistic programming coach in 2013. This additional training enables her to assist dental professionals to get the most out of their practices and provide the best services they can to patients. Melonie is a regular contributor to dental journals, a national speaker at dental conferences and sits on the judging panel for the Dentistry Awards and the Dental Hygiene and Therapy Awards. Currently along with her work schedule Mel is the secretary of The British Association of Dental Therapists and a key opinion leader for Ivoclar Vivadent.

48. Tobias Kounsul

New entry

As a newcomer in the top 50 Dr Tobias Kounsul is no stranger to us since he won Best Young Dentist UK at the Dentistry Awards 2012. He has since published various articles and lectured on advanced treatment regimes. More recently he is campaigning for patient and human rights in relation to care.data and its implications. Tobias began his dental career in his native Germany at Tuebingen Dental School, where he completed his dental studies with an experimental study and a doctorate in dental medicines. He widened his broad foundations in restorative dentistry by further training in the fields of aesthetic dentistry, implantology and orthodontics. In his central London practice he provides a holistic and balanced approach to dentistry with astonishing results and welcomes patients in more than five languages.

49. Norman Bloom

New entry

Norman Bloom qualified in 1988 from King’s College, London. He currently works at Norman Bloom’s Dental Practice in London (off Harley Street). Norman is a general dentist with a special interest in aesthetic dentistry involving prosthodontics and implants. Norman has previously played rugby for Wasps and still plays the occasional charity game for Wasps Legends. He also takes part in white collar boxing, tennis and scuba diving.

50. Amit Patel

New entry

Amit graduated from the University of Liverpool in 1997. He is also an associate specialist in periodontics and an honorary clinical lecturer at the University of Birmingham Dental School. He has taught at undergraduate and postgraduate level, and to dental practitioners both in the UK and internationally. He was recently invited to become a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. In addition Amit is on the editorial board of The Dental Tribune. He has worked with several different implant systems, lectured nationally and published in the field of dental implantology and periodontics. Amit is the principal specialist and director at Birmingham Dental Specialists.