Profiles
Mr Robert Witton
Director of Social Engagement and Community-based Dentistry (Education)
Peninsula Dental School (Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry)
Role
Director of social engagement and community-based dentistry
Director of Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise CIC
Consultant in dental public health
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
FFPH 2013
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
Dental Protection Society
Roles on external bodies
Devon and Cornwall Local Professional Network for Dentistry
Registered examiner British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN)
Ex Vice-Chair UK SpR Dental Public Health Group (2010-2011)
SAC trainee representative at RCS England (2010-2011)
Teaching interests
Public health
Community engagement
Health policy
Primary dental care
Periodontology
Paediatrics
Research interests
Primary Dental Care
Health Services Research
Research degrees awarded to supervised students
Doctor of Philosophy Martha Paisi ‘Obesity and dental caries in children in Plymouth’ 2014-2017
Grants & contracts
• £5,800 (external). GSK Oral and Dental Research Trust. (Paisi M, Kay E, Witton R)
• £128,000 (external). PDSE post-doctoral fellowship. To investigate the oral health impact of the dental school and PDSE in Devon and Cornwall. (Nasser M, Moles D, Witton R)
• £3,500 (external). North Yard Community Trust. “Creating Smiles” oral health resources box for distribution and training. (Smith W, Witton R (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)
• £10,000 (external). Public Health England. To develop marketing campaign for children’s oral health in Plymouth. Witton R, Nelder R (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. Smith W, Witton R (2017)
• £5000 (internal). Plymouth University Medical Education Award ‘Exploring transformative and troublesome moments for medical and dental students during social engagement pathways’. Neve H, Witton R, Smith W, Henn K (2016)
• £60,000 (internal). Plymouth University. Preliminary investigation of the effectiveness of an intervention to prevent oral disease in a highly vulnerable child population. Kay EJ, Quinn C, Witton R (2016)
• £3,000 (external). Drake Impact Fund. To train child care workers to become ‘dental buddies’ and to support delivery of supervised tooth brushing clubs. Application led by Millfields Trust with Smith W, Witton R (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. Witton R, Tredwin C, Smith W (2015)
• £60,000 (internal). Plymouth University. Investigation into the relationship between dental caries and obesity in young children. Kay EJ, Witton R, Lapthorne D (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. Witton R (2013)
• £5,000 (external). NHS North Devon. To investigate referrals from primary care to specialist services for routine exodontia. Moles D, Mills, I, Nasser M, Witton R (2012)
• £10,000 (external). British Dental Health Foundation. To pilot supervised tooth brushing programmes in Surestart centres in deprived areas of Plymouth. Witton R, Smith W, Jones G (2011)
Research groups
Refereed articles
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
Paisi M, Kay E, Kaimi I, Witton R, Nelder R, Potterton R, Lapthorne D. Obesity and Caries in Four-to-Six year old English Children: A Cross-Sectional Study. BMC Public Health 2018 18, 267
Paisi M, Kay EJ, Kaimi I, Witton R, Nelder R, Christophi C, Lapthorne D. Childhood Obesity and Dental Caries in Young English Children: A Spatial Analysis. Community Dental Health 2018 35(1), 58-64
Witton R, Potterton R, Smith W. Communities in action – developing a dental ambassador programme for adults with learning disability. Community Dental Health 2017 34, 77-79
Witton R, Potterton R, Smith W. Abstract. A dental ambassador programme. Journal of Disability and Oral Health 2016 17(1), 51-52
Witton R, Moles DR. Identifying dentists’ attitudes towards prevention guidance using Q-sort methodology. Community Dental Health 2015 32, 72-77
Witton R, Brown N, Smith W. Abstract. Reaching out – a case study of dental education through social and community engagement. Eur J Dent Educ 2014 18, e13
Witton R, Moles DR. Barriers and facilitators that influence the delivery of prevention guidance in health service dental practice: A questionnaire study of practising dentists in Southwest England. Community Dental Health 2013 30, 71-76
Witton R. Oral health and diabetes – where next for the dental team? Dental Health 2010 49(3), 6-9
Witton R. Bite size oral health promotion. Dental Update 2010 37, 382-388
Ethunandan M, Witton R, Hoffman G, Spedding A, Brennan PA. Atypical features in pleomorphic adenoma – a clinicopathologic study and implications for management. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2006 35, 608-612.
Witton R, Henthorn K, Ethunandan M, Harmer S, Brennan PA. Neurological complications following extrusion of sodium hypochlorite solution during root canal treatment. Int Endod J 2005 38(11), 843-8.
Witton R, Brennan PA. Severe tissue damage and neurological deficit following extrusion of sodium hypochlorite solution during routine endodontic treatment.
Br Dent J 2005; 198 9(12), 749-50.
Witton R. Facial sinus of dental origin. Dent Update 2002 29(10), 514