The aim of the society is to protect, maintain and improve the oral health of older people.
This is achieved by providing a forum to further knowledge and increase awareness relating to the oral health, dental needs and treatment of older adults.
The society holds two meetings per year when members of various dental specialities and professionals complementary to dentistry come together to consider and exchange information on the oral health care of older adults.
BSG now also organises a webinar series each year, usually on a collaborative basis. In 2024 the BSG webinars were run in association with RCS Edinburgh.
We work with other aligned societies – dental, medical , and others including third sector groups to further these aims
We collaborate with the Faculty of Dental Surgey at RCS England to co -fund priming grants for Gerodontology research
We contribute to and comment on national guidance relevant to older people’s health, and oral health/oral care
We engage with the various strands of the dental profession on relevant guidance
We support dental trainees in dental care for older people
BSG submits a report annually to the UK Charity Commission ,in line with its charitable status obligations
BSG has its Annual General Meeting in December of each year, usually after its winter conference
Click here for a short History of The British Society of Gerodontology , and a list of Past Presidents
Committee Members
President
Camilla qualified from King’s College London in 2009. Following vocational training and an SHO post in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, she joined the Community Dental Service in Dorset. During that time, Camilla gained her MJDF, MSc in Special Care Dentistry and completed specialist training in Special Care Dentistry in 2016. Post-CCST, Camilla became an Educational and Clinical Supervisor for specialist training and Accredited Representative for the BDA. Camilla now works as a Consultant in Special Care Dentistry for Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in Exeter and Barnstaple, providing all aspects of special dental care including treatment with conscious sedation and general anaesthetic. She continues to support teaching and training as Training Programme Director for Special Care Dentistry for the South of England and MFDS Examiner for RCS England. In addition to her clinical and leadership roles within the Trust, Camilla actively participates in the South West MCN, Local Dental Committee, North Devon Dental Steering Group and regional Sedation Network. Camilla was delighted to become Sponsorship Secretary for BSG in 2023. Before becoming a dentist, Camilla graduated with an MA (Hons) in European Management Studies with German and worked in publishing. Outside of dentistry, she enjoys choral singing, sailing and spending time with her family and friends.
President Elect, Georgios Tsakos is Professor in Dental Public Health at UCL and Honorary Consultant in Dental Public Health with the National Health Service and with the Department of Health and Social Care (Office for Health Improvement and Disparities). He is also Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of the School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. He has served as President of the European Association of Dental Public Health (EADPH), President of the Behavioural Epidemiological and Health Services Research group in the International Association of Dental Research (IADR), and as Chair of the Platform for Better Oral Health in Europe.
He contributes to the work of the World Health Organisation (the UCL Dental Public Health Group is a WHO Collaborating Centre of Oral Health Inequalities and Public Health), and in World Dental Federation (FDI) programmes. In 2023, he received the IADR Distinguished Scientist award for Behavioral, Epidemiologic and Health Services Research.
He has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers and presented as an invited or keynote speaker in conferences nationally and internationally. His research is on the following dental public health themes: Oral health inequalities and the social determinants of health; Subjective outcomes of oral health and quality of life; Oral health and healthy ageing; Associations between oral and general health.
Research Lead BSG
Past President
Dr Becky Wassall is a practicing clinical specialist and expert in Special Care Dentistry.
Qualified in 2000, she worked across NHS hospital, GP and community dentistry, going on to complete a PhD (2011) and clinical Specialist Training (2019).
As a Clinical Lecturer at Newcastle University, she was awarded an NIHR Transitional Research Fellowship to undertake postdoctoral research into the organisation and delivery of person-centred dental services for older people living and dying in care homes.
Her work seeks to celebrate and promote the humanistic aspects of dental care for older people with significant health and care needs while also embracing the opportunities of research and innovation to change everyday practice and improve oral health and wellbeing.
As an enthusiastic and committed teacher she is always willing to share skills, knowledge and practise with more junior colleagues. Under her supervision, two early career researchers have now secured NIHR fellowships within the field of Special Care Dentistry. More recently, she was recognised by the Vice-Chancellor of Newcastle University, for her efforts in supporting student’s pastoral and wellbeing needs.
Chair , BSG
Mili qualified from Guy’s Hospital in 2001 and is a Consultant in Special Care Dentistry at Surrey and Sussex Health Care NHS Trust and the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability. Mili has always been very committed to dental training and improving oral health services for adults with disabilities. Mili has a special interest in sedation and general anaesthesia in Special Care dentistry. In 2015, Mili developed the Health Education England national initiative ‘Mouth Care Matters’ to improve the oral health of adults in hospitals that was rolled out across England. Mili is the past president of the British Society of Gerodontology and is the current chair. She is the author of several articles in peer-reviewed journals and is the editor of a book on the oral health of older people. Mili was awarded an MBE in 2018 for service to NHS dentistry
Adele qualified from Queen's University, Belfast, in 2011. She discovered a passion for special care dentistry (SCD) during dental core trainee roles in Northern Ireland, Dundee and Cardiff. She completed specialist training in SCD in 2019 in South Wales, working in community and hospital settings. Adele worked as consultant in SCD in Cardiff University Dental Hospital since 2021 and has recently been appointed as consultant in SCD in Belfast Trust. She is passionate about health inclusion and is 2024 president for British Society of Gerodontology.
Committee member
Gerry McKenna
School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences
Belfast
Centre for Public Health
Committee Member, DCP Representative
Loraine is a qualified specialist registered dental nurse with many years of experience within the dental profession and is a DCP representative for BSG.
She was part of the original Mouthcare Matters Team ,an initiative to improve the oral health of hospitalised patients through training and education. Currently she is the permanent Mouthcare Lead in an acute Trust, supporting staff and patients with all aspects of mouthcare. With an ageing population within hospital her duties range from presenting training sessions for staff to tracking lost dentures!
Rakhee is a clinical academic working as a Senior Clinical Lecturer and Honorary Consultant at Kings College London and a Consultant in Dental Public Health at NHS England, London region.
Rakhee completed her master’s in dental public health in 2010 and commenced an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship and Specialist Training post in Dental Public Health training in Bristol / London. In 2014, she was awarded a prestigious NIHR Doctoral Research Fellowship Grant and undertook one of the first CTIMP clinical trials in social care, titled ‘Fluoride interventions to prevent dental decay in care home residents: A randomised feasibility study’. She completed this part time, alongside her consultant role. In 2023, Rakhee was awarded a PhD in Health Services Research, and having published and presented the work nationally and internationally, she was awarded the International Association Dental Research (IADR) Geriatric Oral Health Research Prize.
Rakhee has a strong focus on education. She is a specialty training educational supervisor, supervises masters projects and is undergraduate module lead at KCL. Nationally, she is an examiner for the Oversees Registration Examination and the Royal College of Surgeons England Intercollegiate Specialty Fellowship Examination, and a member of Specialty Advisory and Dental Public Health National Recruitment Committees.
Rakhee is impact driven, and her chief areas of interest academically and in service are prevention of oral disease, innovation in care delivery and the integration of oral across health and social care for an ageing population.
Yvonne is the honorary treasurer for the British Society of Gerodontology.
She qualified from Trinity College Dublin in 2008. She is a Consultant in the Department of Sedation and Special Care Dentistry, Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London. Yvonne completed her specialty training having worked across community and hospital dental services. In 2015 she completed a Masters in Sedation and Special Care Dentistry with King's College London (KCL). Her MSc project investigated methods of diagnosing dental pain in patients with moderate to severe dementia, and her continued research interest is the oral health of older people. Yvonne is involved in training in special care dentistry and conscious sedation for postgraduate dentists at KCL and special care dentistry specialty registrars. She is the Chair for the Special Care Dentistry Managed Clinical Network for London, is a member of the Specialty Advisory Board for Special Care Dentistry and examiner for the Diploma in Special Care Dentistry in the Royal College of Edinburgh.
Kiran currently works as a speciality registrar in Special Care Dentistry in Bristol. Prior to this, she worked as a Dental Officer in the Community Dental Service across the South West of England and completed DCT 1-3 roles in London and Birmingham. Kiran has been published in the British Medical Journal Case Reports, Dental Update and the International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry. She is a member of the Royal College of Surgeons (Glasgow) and has a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education. She is passionate about promoting the oral health of older adults as well as addressing their treatment needs.
BSG Secretary - Thea qualified from Leeds Dental Institute in 2016 and is a Specialist in Special Care Dentistry at Sheffield Teaching Hospital Trust. She is committed and enthusiastic in developing services and improving oral health for adults with disabilities across many vulnerable groups. Thea’s current role in Sheffield involves leading a specialist domiciliary service. She also has a special interest in anxiety management for patients, including sedation in combination with CBT
Website Editor
Daniel works in special care dentistry across Oxfordshire in the community dental service. Prior to this he has worked in dental core training posts across London and Surrey, and supported undergraduate students in a clinical tutor role at Kings College London. He has completed a Diploma in special care dentistry at the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh and was awarded a research grant from the British Society of Gerodontology in 2021 to investigate the feasibility of 3D scanning and printing dentures in care homes
I am a dental public health researcher with interests in oral health inequalities, health systems and policy, and healthy ageing through an oral health lens. I am currently pursuing a PhD in Dental Public Health at Queen Mary University of London, funded by the NIHR School for Primary Care Research. My doctoral research focuses on improving access to primary care for older adults in England by developing an evidence base that supports progress towards the WHO Global Strategy and Action Plan on Oral Health and its targets.
Alongside my doctoral studies, I support the research and teaching activities of the Dental Public Health Research Group at University College London. Previously, I served as a Policy Associate at Queen Mary University of London, where I contributed to oral health policy research, and I also had the privilege of working with the Public Health Foundation of India on health systems and policy research projects.
My passion is to conduct research that has the potential to inform policy, reduce oral health inequalities, and improve oral health outcomes for the ageing population.
Trainee Representative
Kate is a Specialty Registrar in Special Care Dentistry at University College London Hospital and Sussex Community Healthcare Trust. She graduated from King’s College London, and has since worked in general dental practice, community dental services, Special Care and Maxillofacial units. Whilst working at the Royal London Hospital in Special Care Dentistry, she discovered an interest in providing treatment for vulnerable adults under sedation. She has been published in the BDJ and most recently in SAAD on the management of a frail older adult with Remimazolam. She enjoys attending local and national dental conferences, where she has presented multiple presentations and posters, recently winning the StR poster prize at the BSG Conference. Outside of dentistry, she loves hiking and cold water swimming, particularly in the Lake District where she lived for a year, and working with children and deaf adults in her local church.
Dr Laura Smith is a Specialty Registrar in Special Care Dentistry with an academic background in Biochemistry. After completing Dental Foundation Training, she undertook Dental Core Training posts in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Special Care Dentistry before commencing her Specialty Registrar training with Birmingham Community Health Care (BCHC) NHS Foundation Trust.
Laura’s clinical and academic interests centre on improving care for vulnerable patient groups, with a particular focus on Gerodontology. She has authored publications in this area and remains actively involved in service development and educational initiatives within Special Care Dentistry. As a contributing member of a Special Care Dentistry Special Interest Group, she has taken part in critical appraisal work to strengthen evidence-based practice within the specialty. In 2024, this included reviewing the evidence base for the use of Silver Diamine Fluoride in older adults as a minimally invasive approach to caries management.
Alongside her clinical training, Laura continues to contribute to undergraduate education, delivering lectures to Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students at the University of Birmingham.
As a new member of the BSG committee she is excited to help foster younger trainee engagement and contribute to a wider understanding of Gerodontology amongst dental professionals.
Xin is a Specialist in Special Care Dentistry with a special interest in conscious sedation and implant dentistry. After completing her specialty training at the Royal London Hospital and passing the Tri-collegiate Membership Exam in Special Care Dentistry in 2023, she spent a year abroad as an ITI Scholar at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok to gain further exposure in implant dentistry. Her research contributions in dental sedation, special care dentistry and implant dentistry have been published in leading journals, and she has received a number of awards for presenting her work. Xin is committed to advancing patient-centred care and education in dental sedation and special care dentistry.
DCP Lead
Mouth Care Matters Lead & Registered Dental Nurse
I am a Registered Dental Nurse, qualified in 2005, with 19 years’ experience working in general practice maxillo-facial nursing and my current role as a Mouth Care Matters Lead at an acute trust spanning three sites.
During my time as a Mouth Care Matters lead I have had the honour to receive a British citizen award with special recognition for my work in mouth care. I am passionate about improving patient outcomes and am dedicated to promoting excellent oral care practices across the various health care setting and have previously held a post on the Royal college of surgeon’s odontology section council.
My Duties range from presenting training sessions to staff, attending many different ward rounds to educate on links between general health and mouth care to tracking dentures.
Membership