Amanda Harbrow-Harris and Pat Popat: in conversation

Dental hygienist Amanda Harbrow-Harris and dental therapist Pat Popat discuss their career journeys, how dental hygiene has evolved, and the clinical tools they rely on day to day.

Pat Popat (PP): Amanda, tell me: how did you get into being a dental hygienist, leading to being two-time Dental Hygienist of the Year?

Amanda Harbrow-Harris (AH): Well, it’s actually quite a long story, so I will summarise it. I started off as a dental nurse and I did this for years, did it to a death. I worked in Dubai, Harley Street, general practice, private practice, and I just wanted more.

Unfortunately, I left school with no GCSEs, so I had to gain these qualifications. I then did exploring science at Open University, first year of a degree, to then get on to the degree course at the University of Essex to become a hygienist. All of this took me about three years before I even started uni. I then did uni, smashed it with a distinction, and I’ve been working as a hygienist now and qualified 10 years ago, and I love it.

PP: So we’ve got a similar pathway, because I also started out as a dental nurse and ended up working in a specialist periodontal referral practice under a periodontist, and kind of grew from there. I was dental nursing, and I was a bit of an odd man, really. I was fixing chairs and fixing things that weren’t working, then worked chairside, and then worked my way up to being a practice manager.

I then felt that I wanted to go back to being clinical, so I ended up doing my dental nurse qualification, I taught dental nurses, examined for the National Examining Board for Dental Nurses, and then went back into being a clinician. That’s when I joined the University of Essex and did my hygiene degree, and that led on to more things with lecturing locally, internationally, and doing lots of other things, and then my dental therapy degree. We’ve met each other.

AH: Oh, yeah. I was about to say I’ve known you for a long time, but we’ve worked out that we’ve known each other probably for about 17 years. I was actually a dental nurse working on the clinic when you were doing your training. I can remember watching you train and being so jealous because I was desperate to do the course.

Sharing knowledge

PP: Well, here you are! You’re now so involved. And from someone who saw where you’ve come from as a dental nurse and your background, I’m quite proud to see where you’ve come from and the hard work that you’ve put in to getting to where you’ve got to.

AH: Likewise with you, with you’re practices. I mean, that’s amazing. You’re smashing it.

PP: Lots of sleepless nights, but we’re getting there. And now we’re both involved with NSK on the Ikigai panel, and we get to do a lot of work together, which is nice.

AH: Yeah, and being a clinical educator is great. I’ve met lots of amazing people, learnt a lot from them. Also, I’ve been the clinical educator for the University of Essex, so it’s been great training other hygienists and potential therapists on how to do our job as well.

PP: Absolutely, as you saw today, we had a couple of students from the University of Essex in house, so it’s nice because we can talk to them about the various products that we use and the different ultrasonic systems and powder therapy, training them on how to work the way we do.

AH: Yeah, exactly. Little tid bits, like putting the wire over your arms so you don’t get RSI (repetitive strain injury) down the line. Or how to sit properly, what equipment works, what tip works best for each type of patient. It’s great to be able to share the knowledge.

Pivotal role

PP: So, Amanda, what are the changes you’ve seen with dental hygienists, and even some of your dental therapist colleagues, over your career?

AH: Well, while I was at university training back in 2013, direct access came in, which has been pivotal for our career. Just realising that we’re not just auxiliary staff, and actually we are part of a multidisciplinary team of people that help with prevention and cure.

Hygienists and therapists are not just people that nod along in the background helping the dentist out, but patients need to see us for prevention, for hygiene treatment. And it has health benefits, it helps prevent heart disease, strokes, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, the lot. And menopause symptoms, people trying for a baby, erectile dysfunction.

PP: Now I think patients are more aware of – a bit like America – patients are finding out that they can go to a hygienist direct access without the need of seeing a dentist, and also at the same time taking more care of themselves.

I think our job, or our role, has become pivotal, as you quite rightly said, in making sure that we are saying to patients, ‘this is linked to your heart’, or ‘this is linked to your body’, and sharing that systemic knowledge that we have. I think it’s really changed the way people think and perceive us.

But also in the industry, with dentists, like you said, that we’re not just auxiliary staff. It’s not just ‘go and see them for a scale and polish’ – we are carrying out non-surgical periodontal therapy. Our scope has grown.

Watch the full video to find out more.

NSK Ikigai is a vibrant community of dental hygienists and dental therapists, running courses, webinars and other events throughout the year. For more info visit mynsk.co.uk/ikigai/.

The Regeneration Course 27 September 2025: Professor Luigi Nibali and Dr Varkha Rattu will present a lecture and workshop combo, featuring MINST (minimally invasive non-surgical therapy) techniques for hygienists and therapists. Click here to reserve your place!

Amanda Harbrow-Harris and Pat Popat: in conversation

Sharing knowledge

Pivotal role

NSK Ikigai is a vibrant community of dental hygienists and dental therapists, running courses, webinars and other events throughout the year. For more info visit mynsk.co.uk/ikigai/.

Read more from the National Dental Hygienist and Dental Therapist Day campaign: