Gordon Watkins To Become President Of British Dental Association, UK

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 24 Apr 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Gordon Watkins MBE, a retired dental practitioner based in Norfolk, will be installed as the 122nd President of the British Dental Association at 9am on Thursday 1 May. The ceremony to mark the event takes place as part of the 2008 British Dental Conference and Exhibition which is being held at the Manchester Central Convention Complex.

Dr Watkins gained his Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Birmingham in 1970. He went on to gain his Diploma in General Dental Practice from the Royal College of Surgeons in 1992. From 1970-1975 he served in the Royal Air Force Dental Branch, both in the UK and overseas in Germany and Italy. From 1975 he was a general dental practitioner in Norfolk and Suffolk and when he retired in 2006 he was in a large, multiple-surgery general dental practice. He has lectured extensively on quality management and decontamination and personal protection in dental practice.

Dr Watkins has held a number of offices in dental representation and politics. He has served on the EU Dental Liaison Committee, the Dental Vocational Training Authority and the Dental Practice Board. Acting on behalf of the EU Dental Liaison Committee, Dr Watkins addressed a full sitting of the European Parliament in Brussels on the subject of Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications.

He was the founder of the Norfolk Oral Health Advisory Group and was a member of Norfolk Local Dental Committee for more than ten years.

Dr Watkins has served as a member of the BDA's Executive Board, vice chairman of the BDA council, member of the Representative Body and chaired the BDA's Health and Science Committee. At a regional level, he has held positions including President of the Eastern Counties Branch and Chairman of the Council of the Eastern Counties Branch. He has acted as a media spokesperson for the BDA, appearing on national television and radio on a regular basis, and was closely involved with the development of the BDA's innovative 3D Mouth educational website.

Away from dentistry his interests include cabinet making, architecture, walking and caravanning. He is also a member and past president of Norwich St Edmunds' Rotary Club. He is married to Sally. They have three children.

The British Dental Association (BDA) is the professional association for dentists in the UK. It represents over 20,000 dentists working in general practice, in community and hospital settings, in academia and research, and in the armed forces.

British Dental Association