In the final episode of Series 2 of Oral Health Matters, host Richard Watt, Professor of Dental Public Health at University College London, explores whether the dental profession is currently standing on a precipice. He asks a fundamental question regarding the future of oral health care: is the profession destined to remain an integral part of the social contract and general health, or has it already tipped into being a primarily cosmetic endeavour left to the whims of the private sector? 

This conversation investigates the shifting landscape of global dentistry, analysing the move away from traditional primary health care models towards high-tech, commercially driven environments. As "dental spas" and social media influencers promote unrealistic aesthetic standards, our guests discuss the risks of iatrogenesis (harm caused by treatment) and the increasing marginalisation of vulnerable populations who lack access to affordable dental care. The episode concludes by examining how professional ethics, public health policy, and civil society can work together to pull the profession back from the edge and reclaim oral health as a basic human right. 

Our Guests: 

• Denise Faulks - Researcher at the Centre for Clinical Dental Research at the University of Clermont Auvergne in France, and an experienced clinician with expertise in special care dentistry. 
• Rob Whitten - Chief Executive and Director of the Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise and Deputy Head of the Peninsula Dental School at the University of Plymouth, who is passionate about making quality oral health care accessible to all. 

Oral Health Matters is produced by the Dental Public Health Group at UCL with funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).  

Follow the conversation by connecting with the Dental Public Health Group on LinkedIn, BlueSky, and Instagram. 

This is a Research Podcasts production.  

You can read a transcript of the conversation here.  

Episode Credits 

Presenter: Richard Watt, UCL  

Guests: Denise Faulks and Rob Whitten 

Producer: Catherine McDonald, Research Podcasts 

Editor: Anton Jarvis, Research Podcasts 

Music: The Documentary, Mapamusic