Professor Robert Witton

Director of social engagement and community-based dentistry (University of Plymouth)
Chief Executive (Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise CIC)
Consultant in Dental Public Health (Public Health England)

Qualifications

BDS (Birmingham University) 1999
MFGDP(UK) 2003
MFDS RCS(Eng) 2005
DPDS (Bristol University) 2009
Certificate in Clinical Periodontology (UCLAN) 2009
MSc Public and Community Health (Universities of Exeter & Plymouth) 2012
FDS (Dental Public Health) RCS(Eng) 2012
FHEA 2016

Professional membership

General Dental Council Reg No. 75972
Performer number - 75972-5F1
British Dental Association
British Society for the Study of Community Dentistry 
Associate Member Faculty of General Dental Practice
Fellow in Dental Surgery Royal College of Surgeons of England

Roles on external bodies

Teaching interests

Public health
Community engagement
Health policy
Primary dental care
Periodontology
Paediatrics

Staff serving as external examiners

South West Population and Public Health Academy Board (2018 to present)

South West Regional Committee for Speciality Training in Dentistry (2017 to present)

Health Education England (HEE Southwest, Oxford and Thames Valley) Training Programme Director in Dental Public Health (2017 to present)

ISFE Examiner (the four Royal Colleges) in dental public health (2015 to present)

RCS England Examiner in dental public health (2019 to present)

External Examiner Queen Mary University of London (2019 to present)

Research interests

Primary Dental Care
Health Services Research

Other research

Ahmed A, Bannerman N-L, Paisi M, Potterton R, Witton R. A dental student perspective on the impacts of an inter-professional engagement module. Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship 2020 13(1) 111-113

Coelho C, Witton R, Smith W. Assisting communication in the dental setting; a student team working initiative with stroke patients. Journal of Disability and Oral Health 2018 19/1, 10-13

Witton R. Oral health and diabetes – where next for the dental team? Dental Health 2010 49(3), 6-9

Witton R. Open wide – a discussion of diabetes and oral health Diabetes Update 2009; Autumn: 28-32

Books

Co-editor. Standards in Dentistry. Second Edition. Faculty of General Dental Practice. London, 2018

“Open Wide and Step Inside” storybook for children. First edition. Witton and Smith. Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise CIC, 2018

Book chapter. Prevention of dental caries in “Dentistry at a glance”. First Edition. Edited by E Kay. Wiley Blackwell, 2016

Other published reports, policy contributions and articles

Witton R. The future of dental public health. Br Dental J In Practice 2021 34, 10-11

Witton R. Scrapping PHE, a threat to oral health? Br Dent J 2020 229, 272

Witton R. How has COVID-19 affected dental provision for the homeless? (2020). Available at: https://www.dentistry.co.uk/2020/10/02/covid-affected-dental-provision-homeless/

Witton R (representing the British Dental Association). 2020 Comprehensive Spending Review. Joint representation on local public health funding to HM Treasury (2020). Available at: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/sites/default/files/csr_joint_representation_on_local_public_health_funding_-_24_september_2020.pdf

Witton R. Written evidence in response to the Health Select Committee Inquiry into dental services (2019). Available on the Parliament website at https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/health-and-social-care-committee/inquiries/parliament-2017/dentistry-services-inquiry-17-19/publications/

Witton R. Underprivileged in Plymouth receive dental care (2019). Springer Science and Business Media LLC 01/01/190001/01/1900

Oral care and people with learning disabilities. Chapter 12 – For people with learning disabilities to provide peer support. Public Health England (2019). Available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oral-care-and-people-with-learning-disabilities/oral-care-and-people-with-learning-disabilities

Witton R. Open Wide and Step Inside. Research Outreach. Issue 111. http://cdn.researchoutreach.org/Flipbooks/RO111/index.html (2019)

Harman C, Allen Z, Nelder R, Witton R. Plymouth Oral Health Needs Assessment. Plymouth City Council (2019)

Warren S, Allen Z, Harwood P, Witton R. Special Care and Paediatric Southwest Needs Assessment Summary Report. NHS England and NHS Improvement (2019)

Allen Z, Harwood P, Ireland A, John J, Oliver J, Scott D, Sowerbutts J, Warren S, Witton R. South of England Paediatric and Special Care Needs Assessment Framework. Public Health England (2018)

Harwood P, Witton R, Allen Z. South West Orthodontic Needs Assessment. Public Health England (2015)

Harwood P, Witton R, Patel R, Woof M. South West Oral Health Needs Assessment. Public Health England (2014)

Blogs

Fighting for prevention in oral health. British Dental Association. Available at Fighting for prevention in oral health (bda.org) (November 2020)

Scrapping PHE, a threat to oral health? British Dental Association. Available at https://bda.org/news-centre/blog/Pages/Scrapping-PHE-a-threat-to-oral-health.aspx (November 2020)

Research degrees awarded to supervised students

Grants & contracts

Research grants 

£69,166. “The impact of inter-professional education in the dental curriculum on students’ views towards social accountability.” Principal Investigator (2020)

£143,029 (external). Post-doctoral fellowship. “Identifying Factors Influencing Oral health Habits and Dental care Access among Children and Young People with Autism: Evidence Synthesis and Qualitative Stakeholder Research” Co-investigator (2020)

£216,484K (external). NIHR Public Health Practice Evaluation Scheme. Health Visitor Oral Health Improvement Pilot (HVOHIP). Co-investigator (2019)

£2,500 (external). GSK and Association for Dental Education in Europe. Advancement of dentistry in society scholarship award (2018)

£5,800 (external). GSK Oral and Dental Research Trust. Co-investigator (2017)

£128,000 (external). Post-doctoral fellowship. To investigate the oral health impact of the dental school and PDSE in Devon and Cornwall. Co-investigator (2017)

£89,000 (external). Wrigley Global Oral Health Fund. To deliver and improve the “open wide and step inside” oral health education intervention in Plymouth primary schools. Witton R (2017)

£5,000 (internal). Plymouth University Medical Education Award ‘Exploring transformative and troublesome moments for medical and dental students during social engagement pathways’. Co-investigator (2016)

£60,000 (internal). Plymouth University. Preliminary investigation of the effectiveness of an intervention to prevent oral disease in a highly vulnerable child population. Co-investigator (2016)

£78,000 (external). Wrigley Global Oral Health Fund. To deliver the “open wide and step inside” oral health education intervention using Immersive Vision Technology in Plymouth primary schools. Principal Investigator (2015)

£60,000 (internal). Plymouth University. Investigation into the relationship between dental caries and obesity in young children. Co-investigator (2014)

£109,000 (external). Wrigley Global Oral Health Fund. To develop an innovative pilot oral health education intervention for children aged 4-5 years using Immersive Vision Technology. Principal Investigator (2013)

£5,000 (external). NHS North Devon. To investigate referrals from primary care to specialist services for routine exodontia. Co-investigator (2012)

Social impact and community grants 

£470,254 (external). NHS England. Devon supervised tooth brushing scheme and evaluation. Principal Investigator (2019)

£3,500 (external). North Yard Community Trust. “Creating Smiles” oral health resources box for distribution and training. Principal Investigator (2017)

£100,000 (external). Plymouth City Council. To deliver the oral health component of the Child Poverty Action Plan (2017)

£10,000 (external). Public Health England. To develop marketing campaign for children’s oral health in Plymouth. Principal Investigator (2017)

£9,200 (external). Active Plus. To co-deliver with ActivePlus “Talking Teeth” an oral health support network for veterans and isolated rural elderly in Cornwall. Principal Investigator (2017)

£3,000 (external). Drake Impact Fund. To train child care workers to become ‘dental buddies’ and to support delivery of supervised tooth brushing clubs. Principal Investigator (2016)

£10,000 (external). British Dental Health Foundation. To pilot supervised tooth brushing programmes in Surestart centres in deprived areas of Plymouth. Principal Investigator (2011)

Other academic activities

Additional information

Professional roles

Professional advice to Makelle Unversity dental school, Ethiopia

Professional advice to Healthservice Commisison, Somaliland

Chief Executive Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise CIC (2019 to present)

Trustee Well Connected Charity (2018 - 2019)

Chair Well Connected Charity (2017 – 2018)

Non-Executive Director, Smile Together CIC (2016 to 2019)

Non-Executive Director, PCH Dental CIC (2013 - 2016)

Executive Director, Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise CIC (2012 to present)