Dr Ian Mills
Profiles

Dr Ian Mills

Associate Professor of Primary Care Dentistry

Peninsula Dental School (Faculty of Health)

Dr Ian Mills can be contacted through arrangement with our Press Office, to speak to the media on these areas of expertise.
  • Dentistry
  • Primary care dentistry
Biography

Biography

Dental surgeon with over 30 years experience across a wide range of dental disciplines including general dental practice, secondary care, education and research. Currently a partner at Torrington Dental Practice, Associate Professor of Primary Care Dentistry and Past Dean of the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK). Ian has represented the dental profession on various local, regional and national boards and committees, including NHS England Advisory Board for Dental System Reform, CQC Dental Reference Group, Advisory Board for Delivering Joint Committee for Postgraduate Training in Dentistry, General Practice Committee of BDA, Advisory Board for Sedation Training in Dentistry, SDCEP Advisory group on AGPs, FGDP(UK) COVID Guidelines Committee. Ian was previously Chair of the Examinations Committee at FGDP(UK) and an examiner for the Fellowship Assessment at FGDP(UK). He was previously on the Trustee Board of both the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the College of General Dentistry.  


Qualifications

FICD               Fellowship of the International College of Dentists (2021)

FCGDent           Fellowship of the College of General Dentistry (2021)

PhD               Doctor of Philosophy, Peninsula College of Medicine & Dentistry (2018)

FHEA              Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (2015)

MJDF RCS          Membership of Joint Dental Faculties, Royal College of Surgeons of England (2013)

MFDS RCPS (Glasg)  Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (2013)

FDS RCPS (Glasg)   Fellowship of the Faculty of Dental Surgery, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (2013)

FFGDP (UK)         Fellowship of the Faculty of General Dental Practice (2012)

Adv Cert Imp Dent   Certificate in Advanced Implant Dentistry, Royal College of Surgeons of England (2008)

Dip Imp Dent RCS   Diploma in Implant Dentistry, Royal College of Surgeons of England (2008)

BDS                Bachelor of Dental Surgery, University of Glasgow (1987) 


Professional membership

Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK)

Faculty of Dental Surgery, Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Glasgow

College of General Dentistry 

British Dental Association

Association of Dental Implantology

British Society for Oral and Dental Research

International Association for Dental Research



Roles on external bodies

2021 – present     Member of NHS England Advisory Board for Dental System Reform

2018 – 2021       Dean of the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK)

2018 – 2021        Trustee of the Royal College of Surgeons of England

2018 – 2021        Trustee of the College of General Dentistry

2013 – 2017        Examiner for the Fellowship of FGDP (UK)

2013 – 2016       Chair of Examinations of FGDP (UK) at Royal College of Surgeons of England

2015 – 2018       National Representative on Care Quality Commission Dental Review Group

2006 – 2018       Elected Representative on General Dental Practice Committee of the BDA

1998 – date       Elected Representative on Devon Local Dental Committee

Other past committees include:

Joint Committee of Postgraduate Training in Dentistry

COVID-19 National Stakeholders Group

COVID-19 Forward Planning Group for Dentistry

Advancing Dental Care Stakeholders Group

Improving Oral Health in Children & Young People with Additional Needs 

Oversight Committee for Delivering Better Oral Health

Teaching

Teaching

Teaching interests

2018 - 21 Partial sabbatical from teaching in view of role as Dean of FGDP(UK)

Previously contributed to undergraduate training as:

  • Clinical Supervisor for final year dental students
  • EBL Facilitator(3rd year dental students)
  • Workshop lead on Shred Decision Making for dental students
  • Honorary Lecturer delivering plenaries on variety of topics 

Research

Research

Research interests

Focus on primary care based research with particular experience in the use of qualitative methods:

Current research interests in:

  • Challenges of recruitment & retention of dental workforce in rural and coastal areas
  • Mental health and well-being in general dental practice


Other research

  • Person-centred care in general dental practice
  • Shared decision making
  • Environmental sustainability with particular focus on waste management in general dental practice

Publications

Publications

Key publications

Key publications are highlighted

Journals

1.  Witton, R., Plessas, A., Paisi, M., Wheat, H., Baines, R., Delgado, M. B., Mills, I. (2021) Perceptions and psychosocial experiences of frontline Urgent Dental Care Centre staff in England during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study. British Dental Journal, (accepted for publication).

2.  Witton, R., Plessas, A., Wheat, H., Baines, R., Delgado, M. B., Mills, I., Paisi, M. (2021) The future of dentistry post-COVID-19. Perspectives from Urgent Dental Care Centres staff in England. British Dental Journal, (accepted for publication).

3.  Asimakopoulou, K., Scambler, S., Mills, I. J., Neville, P. (2021) COVID-19 presents an opportunity for dental teams to become ready for person-centred. British Dental Journal, (accepted for publication).

4.  Mills, I., & Neville, P. (2021). COVID-19, Leadership and Gender Equality: Preparing for the Challenges Ahead. Primary Dental Journal, 10(2), 23-27. doi:10.1177/20501684211013265

5.  Trivedy, C., Mills, I., & Dhanoya, O. (2020). The impact of the risk of COVID-19 on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) members of the UK dental profession. British Dental Journal, 228(12), 919-922. doi:10.1038/s41415-020-1781-6

6.  Wilson, N. H. F., & Mills, I. J. (2020). Dentistry: Time for a New Meaning?. Primary Dental Journal, 9(1), 19-20. doi:10.1177/2050168420911015

7.  Bartlett, D., Dattani, S., Mills, I., Pitts, N., Rattan, R., Rochford, D., . . . O’Toole, S. (2019). Monitoring erosive toothwear: BEWE, a simple tool to protect patients and the profession. British Dental Journal, 226(12), 930-932. doi:10.1038/s41415-019-0411-7

8.  Mills, I. (n.d.). Through the patient's eyes - the importance of person-centred care in oral cancer. British Dental Journal. doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.2018.923

9.  Burns, L., Grose, J., Mukonoweshuro, R., Richardson, J., Mills, I., Nasser, M., & Moles, D. (2018). Developing sustainability in a dental practice through an Action Research approach. British Dental Journal, 225, 409-413. doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.2018.738

10. Mills, I. J., Barker, S., & Renton, T. (2017). The importance of recording mental health history – a case report. Dental Update, 44(10), 922-934. doi:10.12968/denu.2017.44.10.922

11. Mills, I. (n.d.). A person-centred approach to holistic assessment. Primary Dental Journal. doi:10.1308/205016817821931006

12. Tanja-Dijkstra, K., Pahl, S., White, M. P., Auvray, M., Stone, R. J., Andrade, J., . . . Moles, D. R. (2017). The Soothing Sea: A Virtual Coastal Walk Can Reduce Experienced and Recollected Pain. Environment and Behavior, 001391651771007. doi:10.1177/0013916517710077

13. Grose, J., Richardson, J., Mills, I., Moles, D., & Nasser, M. (2016). Exploring attitudes and knowledge of climate change and sustainability in a dental practice: A feasibility study into resource management. British Dental Journal, 220(4), 187-191. doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.2016.136

14. Richardson, J., Grose, J., Manzi, S., Mills, I., Moles, D. R., Mukonoweshuro, R., . . . Nichols, A. (2016). What's in a bin: A case study of dental clinical waste composition and potential greenhouse gas emission savings. BRITISH DENTAL JOURNAL, 220(2), 61-66. doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.2016.55

15. Richardson, J., Grose, J., Manzi, S., Mills, I., Moles, D. R., Mukonoweshuro, R., . . . Nichols, A. (2016). What's in a bin: A case study of dental clinical waste composition and potential greenhouse gas emission savings. British Dental Journal, 220(2), 61-66. doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.2016.55

16. Mills, I., Frost, J., Kay, E., & Moles, D. R. (2015). Person-centred care in dentistry - the patients' perspective. British Dental Journal, 218(7), 407-413. doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.2015.248

17. Mills, I., Frost, J., Moles, D. R., & Kay, E. (2014). Dental patients: Delivering PCC. British Dental Journal, 217(11), 614. doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.2014.1065

18. Mills, I., Frost, J., Cooper, C., Moles, D. R., & Kay, E. (2014). Patient-centred care in general dental practice - a systematic review of the literature. BMC Oral Health, 14(1). doi:10.1186/1472-6831-14-64

19. Tanja-Dijkstra, K., Pahl, S., White, M. P., Andrade, J., May, J., Stone, R. J., . . . Moles, D. R. (2014). Can virtual nature improve patient experiences and memories of dental treatment? A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 90(15). doi:10.1186/1745-6215-15-90

20. Kay, E. J., Mills, I., Tredwin, C., Lambe, P., & Nassani, M. Z. (2014). Comparison of utility weighted DMFT with patient-reported oral well-being. Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, 41(2), 155-161. doi:10.1111/joor.12117

21. Mills, I., Frost, J., Moles, D. R., & Kay, E. (2013). Patient-centred care in general dental practice: sound sense or soundbite?. British Dental Journal, 215(2), 81-85. doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.2013.684

22. Mills, I., & Batchelor, P. (2011). Quality indicators: the rationale behind their use in NHS dentistry.. Br Dent J, 211(1), 11-15. doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.2011.521


Articles
Evans D, Burns L, Mills I, Bryce M & Hanks S (2023) 'Recruitment and retention in dentistry in the UK: a scoping review to explore the challenges across the UK, with a particular interest in rural and coastal areas' British Dental Journal , DOI Open access
Hallett G, Witton R & Mills I (2022) 'A survey of mental wellbeing and stress among dental therapists and hygienists in South West England' British Dental Journal , DOI Open access
Mills I (2022) 'NHS dentistry is at breaking point – only radical action may be enough to fix it' The Conversation Publisher Site Open access
Brookes Z, Mills I, Witton R & McColl E (2022) 'Top tips for incorporating research' British Dental Journal 232, (7) 427-429 , DOI Open access
Plessas A, Paisi M, Baines R, Wheat H, Delgado MB, Mills I & Witton R (2022) 'Working in an urgent dental care hub during the Covid-19 pandemic from a dental nurses' perspective' Dental Nursing 18, (2) 68-70 , DOI Open access
Mills I, Asimakopoulou K, Neville P & Scambler S (2021) 'COVID-19 presents an opportunity for dental teams to become ready for person-centred care' British Dental Journal (BDJ) 231, 709-712 , DOI Open access
Witton R, Plessas A, Wheat H, Baines R, Delgado MB, Mills I & Paisi M (2021) 'The future of dentistry post-COVID-19: perspectives from Urgent Dental Care centre staff in England' British Dental Journal (BDJ) , DOI Open access
Plessas A, Paisi M, Baines R, Wheat H, Delgado MB, Mills I & Witton R (2021) 'Frontline experiences and perceptions of Urgent Dental Care centre staff in England during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study' British Dental Journal (BDJ) , DOI Open access
Mills I & Neville P (2021) 'COVID-19, Leadership and Gender Equality: Preparing for the Challenges Ahead' Primary Dental Journal 10, (2) 23-27 , DOI Open access
Mills I (2021) 'Dean’s Update' Primary Dental Journal 10, (1) 3-3 , DOI Open access
Mills I (2020) 'Dean’s Update' Primary Dental Journal 9, (4) 4-4 , DOI Open access
Mills I (2020) 'Dean’s Update' Primary Dental Journal 9, (3) 4-4 , DOI Open access
Mills I (2020) 'FGDP(UK) News' Primary Dental Journal 9, (3) 5-9 , DOI Open access
Trivedy C, Mills I & Dhanoya O (2020) 'The impact of the risk of COVID-19 on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) members of the UK dental profession' British Dental Journal (BDJ) 228, (12) 919-922 , DOI Open access
Mills I (2020) 'Dean’s Update' Primary Dental Journal 9, (2) 4-5 , DOI
Wilson NHF & Mills IJ (2020) 'Dentistry: Time for a New Meaning?' Primary Dental Journal 9, (1) 19-20 , DOI Open access
Mills I (2020) 'Dean’s Update' Primary Dental Journal 9, (1) 3-3 , DOI Open access
Mills I (2019) 'Dean's Update' Primary Dental Journal 8, (4) 6-7 , DOI Open access
Mills I (2019) 'Dean's Update: Welcome to the Winter Issue of the Primary Dental Journal May I Firstly Take this Opportunity to Wish you all the Best for 2020' Prim Dent J 8, (4) 6-7 Author Site , DOI Open access
Mills I (2019) 'Dean's Update' Primary dental journal 8, (3) , DOI
Mills I (2019) 'Dean's Update' Prim Dent J 8, (2) Author Site , DOI
Bartlett D, Dattani S, Mills I, Pitts N, Rattan R, Rochford D, Wilson NHF, Mehta S & O’Toole S (2019) 'Monitoring erosive toothwear: BEWE, a simple tool to protect patients and the profession' British Dental Journal 226, (12) 930-932 , DOI Open access
Mills I (2019) 'Dean'S Update' Primary Dental Journal 8, (1) 5-5 , DOI Open access
Mills I (2018) 'Through the patient's eyes - the importance of person-centred care in oral cancer' British Dental Journal , DOI
Mills I (2018) 'Dean's Update' Primary Dental Journal 7, (3) 6-7 , DOI
Burns L, Grose J, Mukonoweshuro R, Richardson J, Mills I, Nasser M & Moles D (2018) 'Developing sustainability in a dental practice through an Action Research approach' British Dental Journal 225, 409-413 , DOI Open access
Mills I (2018) 'Dean's Update' Primary Dental Journal 7, (4) 6-6 , DOI
Mills IJ, Barker S & Renton T (2017) 'The importance of recording mental health history – a case report' Dental Update 44, (10) 922-934 , DOI Open access
Mills I (2017) 'A person-centred approach to holistic assessment' Primary Dental Journal 6, (3) 18-23 , DOI Open access
Tanja-Dijkstra K, Pahl S, White MP, Auvray M, Stone RJ, Andrade J, May J, Mills I & Moles DR (2017) 'The Soothing Sea: A Virtual Coastal Walk Can Reduce Experienced and Recollected Pain' Environment and Behavior 001391651771007-001391651771007 , DOI Open access
Richardson J, Grose J, Manzi S, Mills I, Moles DR, Mukonoweshuro R, Nasser M & Nichols A (2016) 'What's in a bin?' BDJ Team 3, (5) , DOI
Grose J, Richardson J, Mills I, Moles D & Nasser M (2016) 'Exploring attitudes and knowledge of climate change and sustainability in a dental practice: A feasibility study into resource management' British Dental Journal 220, (4) 187-191 , DOI Open access
Richardson J, Grose J, Manzi S, Mills I, Moles DR, Mukonoweshuro R, Nasser M & Nichols A (2016) 'What's in a bin: A case study of dental clinical waste composition and potential greenhouse gas emission savings' BRITISH DENTAL JOURNAL 220, (2) 61-66 Author Site , DOI
Richardson J, Grose J, Manzi S, Mills I, Moles DR, Mukonoweshuro R, Nasser M & Nichols A (2016) 'What's in a bin: A case study of dental clinical waste composition and potential greenhouse gas emission savings' British Dental Journal 220, (2) 61-66 , DOI
Mills I, Frost J, Kay E & Moles DR (2015) 'Person-centred care in dentistry - the patients' perspective' British Dental Journal 218, (7) 407-413 , DOI Open access
Mills I, Frost J, Moles DR & Kay E (2014) 'Dental patients: Delivering PCC' British Dental Journal 217, (11) 614-614 , DOI Open access
Mills I, Frost J, Cooper C, Moles DR & Kay E (2014) 'Patient-centred care in general dental practice - a systematic review of the literature' BMC Oral Health 14, (1) , DOI Open access
Tanja-Dijkstra K, Pahl S, White MP, Andrade J, May J, Stone RJ, Bruce M, Mills I, Auvray M & Gabe R (2014) 'Can virtual nature improve patient experiences and memories of dental treatment? A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial' Trials 90, (15) Publisher Site , DOI Open access
Kay EJ, Mills I, Tredwin C, Lambe P & Nassani MZ (2013) 'Comparison of utility weighted DMFT with patient-reported oral well-being' J Oral Rehabil 41, (2) 155-161 Author Site , DOI
Mills I, Frost J, Moles DR & Kay E (2013) 'Patient-centred care in general dental practice: sound sense or soundbite?' British Dental Journal 215, (2) 81-85 , DOI
Mills I & Batchelor P (2011) 'Quality indicators: the rationale behind their use in NHS dentistry' Br Dent J 211, (1) 11-15 Author Site , DOI
Books
Moles D; Tredwin C; McColl E; Robert W; Burns L (2018) Standards in Dentistry. London, England Faculty of General Dental Practitioners (UK)
Kay E (2016) Dentistry at a Glance. John Wiley & Sons
Chapters

Kay, E. ed., 2016. Dentistry at a Glance. John Wiley & Sons. - contributed 4 chapters

Other Publications
Mills I Dentistry in Plymouth – what have we got to smile about?. Luke Pollard MP Open access
Personal

Personal

Reports & invited lectures

Married with 2 grown up children. Son is still at home, daughter is currently following in her parent's footsteps and is studying dentistry at another dental school, who's name we won't mention. 

Outwith dentistry and family, life revolves around sport and music. Played and coached rugby for many years, now a season ticket holder at Exeter Chiefs.