The chief dental officer and NHS England have announced the appointment of a new deputy CDO.
The position has been given to Jason Wong MBE, who will work alongside CDO Sara Hurley. He will be sharing the role with the current deputy CDO, Eric Rooney.
Graduating from the University of Birmingham in 1995, Jason is a general dental practitioner who also holds a diploma in postgraduate dental studies from the University of Bristol.
Outstanding and respected
He is currently a partner at the Maltings Dental Practice in Grantham, Lincolnshire. This year, he received an MBE for services to dentistry and oral health.
CDO Sara Hurley said: ‘Jason has a track record for outstanding delivery as a local dental network chair and as a respected practitioner and trainer. He is also a notable champion of children’s oral health.
‘His experience and diverse portfolio will be invaluable as we navigate the ongoing challenges of COVID-19 and build on the integrated team approach alongside our colleagues in the wider health and social care sector.’
Additionally, Jason Wong added: ‘It is a privilege to be appointed as deputy chief dental officer for England. I am very much looking forward to joining the office of the CDO and working with the entire dental family.’
Government pledge
This comes as Jeremy Hunt has agreed to reopen an inquiry into dentistry.
Chairing the health and social care (HSC) committee meeting on Tuesday, he promised to look into issues surrounding the profession.
Mick Armstrong, chair of the British Dental Association (BDA), said the pandemic has had ‘catastrophic’ effects on the nation’s oral health.
He pointed out that his practice alone has cancelled 6,000 appointments. He added that he is going to cancel a further 3,000 until September just to deal with the backlog.
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