Dundee Dental Hospital and Research School (DDH&RS) recently opened its doors to staff and members from the Brittle Bone Society (BBS) for a tour of the research and clinical facilities, followed by lunch and a discussion about shared research interests and opportunities for collaboration.
Dr Niall McGoldrick, Clinical Lecturer and Honorary Consultant and Dr Heather Cassie, THIS Institute Research Fellow, along with other members of DDH&RS were delighted to welcome Patricia Osborne, CEO and Coreen Kelday, Support Development Officer of the BBS, along with a group of the charity’s members for a whistle stop tour and discussion around developing patient and public engagement within DDH&RS’s activities. This work was initiated through introductions made through the University of Dundee Public Involvement Committee.
The tour took in the forensics lab, restorative clinics, and Optec department, where the group could see where students get the opportunity to trial their skills on phantom heads. The group also spoke with a group of researchers and PhD students about current dental research activities and meet with Professor Jan Clarkson, Associate Dean for Research and Director of the Scottish Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP), responsible for the production of national dental guidance in Scotland.
Lunch was followed by a discussion about living with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), and the challenges that people with brittle bone disease encounter with their oral health. Of particular interest was the production of dental guidance and the potential to work together to produce resources to support members of the BBS to manage their oral health. Since this event a number of future activities have been planned. This includes: a subsequent meeting between BBS and SDCEP to explore plans for partnership working, a visit to BBS by our 4th year dental students as part of their curriculum, to focus on engagement with the local community and on Monday 20th February, members of BBS will present on their activities as part of the School of Dentistry’s webinar series. This event is bookable via Eventbrite, and will also be recorded for anyone who cannot join on the day.
This is the most recent in a series of DDH&RS public engagement events, where we hope to raise awareness with local third sector organisations, explore opportunities for collaboration and develop patient and public involvement in all aspects of our research and improvement activities. This initial work has been funded by the NHS Scotland Research (Oral and Dental) group.
For further information please contact Heather Cassie at h.c.cassie@dundee.ac.uk.
Written by
Heather Cassie
THIS Institute Research Fellow and Baxter Fellow
School of Dentistry, University of Dundee