Dentistry Scotland Awards

Award categories

Best New Practice

Have you started a practice from scratch or completely re-invented a redundant building during the last three years? We wish to reward the best developers and creators who have made significant business progress in a short space of time. Your practice must have opened after 1 January 2020.

Provide images/videos, including before and after if appropriate
Explain how the business has grown since it either opened or the changes were implemented
Include marketing literature
Discuss team training/development information
Give evidence of uniqueness in your practice and how you go beyond the regular duty of care
Tell us how you connect with the local community
Include relevant testimonials and photos.

Best Team

Is your team special and should they be singled out for praise? Give your staff the recognition they deserve for being the best at what they do.

Demonstrate a great team approach and focus to patient care
Discuss how your practice invests in team development and training
Show us how your team goes above and beyond the regular duty of care
Provide evidence of connection with the local community
Include relevant testimonials
Include evidence and pictures.

Best Patient Care

How do you care for your patients? Do you get a lot of recommendations? Do you offer the highest standards of care and courtesy throughout a patient’s experience?

Demonstrate a great team approach to patient care
Show how you are different to a regular practice
Provide relevant marketing material
Discuss how you provide continuity and consistency of care to establish trusting relationships with patients
Provide evidence of patient satisfaction and relevant testimonials
Include examples of clinical excellence
Supporting evidence and pictures are welcome.

Best Smile Makeover

This category requires submission of a clinical case and supporting notes.

The entrant’s case will show maximum effort made to achieve the desired changes as conservatively as possible
The case will involve the restoration of multiple teeth but probably no more than 10 teeth, using either composite or ceramic
Minor orthodontic pre-alignment or periodontal plastic surgery may have been carried out before the restorations were placed but the major change in the smile will result from the restorations
Provide a case report discussing the patient’s presentation, diagnosis, treatment planning and treatment execution, specifically including a discussion of how the case was treated as conservatively as possible
Provide before and after treatment photographs
Submit appropriate radiographs to support the diagnosis and treatment plan
Submit clinical photographs of interim stages of treatment and/or stages of laboratory work if appropriate
Provide any other supporting evidence.

Best Adult Ortho Case

This category requires submission of a clinical case and supporting notes.

The majority of the treatment employed crowns or veneers or bridges (or any combination) to treat teeth in a single arch. There was little or no restoration of the opposing arch
Entrants should demonstrate how they have kept invasiveness to a minimum
Minor orthodontic pre-alignment or periodontal plastic surgery may have been carried out before the restorations were placed but the major change in the smile will result from the restorations. Implants may have been placed, but were not the major component of the restorative treatment
Provide a case report discussing the patient’s presentation, diagnosis, treatment planning and treatment execution, specifically including a discussion of how the case was treated as effectively as possible
Provide before and after treatment photographs
Provide any other supporting evidence.

Best Private Practice

If your patients are happy with the private service you offer, why not take the recognition for this? You don’t have to be 100% private and the practice can be new or well established.

Include marketing literature
Discuss team training and investment
Provide pictures/videos of your practice
Show evidence of uniqueness in your practice and show how you go above and beyond regular care
Provide evidence of patient satisfaction and relevant testimonials
Show us any unique features or design excellence that has been put in place to improve the patient’s experience and explain your objectives behind them
Supporting evidence and pictures are welcome.

Best NHS Practice

If you’re running a successful NHS practice and your patients are happy with the service you offer, tell us about it. The practice can be new or well established.

Include marketing literature
Discuss team training/development information
Provide pictures/videos of your practice
Tell us how you are different to other NHS practices, what systems are in place to improve the patients’ experience and how you go beyond the regular duty of care
Provide evidence of patient satisfaction and relevant testimonials
Supporting evidence and pictures are welcome.

Best Digital Practice

Are you embracing cutting-edge technology to improve your clinical outcomes? This category will recognise the practice using digital workflows to provide the highest levels of patient care, convenience and technical precision to its patients.

Explain what digital technology you have invested in and why
Show us how your practice has successfully incorporated a digital workflow
Demonstrate how it has improved the patient experience
Explain the impact of technology on your efficiency and profitability
Show us how you have incorporated new technology in your marketing
Include relevant supporting documentation and photos.

Best Young Dentist

We are looking to reward a student or newly qualified dentist under 35 (at time of application) who has shown significant achievement in their career to date or who continues to exhibit passion, drive and attainment.

Demonstrate your hard work and drive
Tell us about any achievements in your career to date
Explain any hurdles you have overcome
Tell us how you are different to other young dental professionals
Give evidence of how you go beyond the regular duty of care to improve your patients’ experience
Include relevant testimonials, marketing literature and photos.

Best Hygienist/Therapist

This category is for an outstanding hygienist or hygiene therapist: one that always goes above and beyond the regular duty of care for patients. This award is for an individual working for a practice (or several practices). It is designed to recognise an empathetic, innovative and effective approach to clinical care and the promotion of oral health.

Demonstrate your passion for preventive care
Show innovation in educating your patients
Show how you have inspired colleagues to carry on the message of preventive care
Demonstrate how you have carried the oral health message beyond the practice
Clinical photography and credible and relevant testimonials will help the application.

Best Dental Nurse

Do you have one team member who you would like to congratulate? That one employee that always goes above and beyond the regular duty of care for your patients. Open to dental nurses exclusively.

Demonstrate their hard work and drive
Tell the judges of anything outstanding they have done or been involved in
Show us how or why this person is special and any hurdles they have overcome
Provide evidence of their excellent patient care
Include relevant testimonials
Include supporting evidence and pictures.

Best Treatment of Nervous Patients

Do you have a great team approach to treating nervous patients? Do you go above and beyond to help patients relax and feel more comfortable in your practice?

Demonstrate an excellent approach to treating nervous patients
Show how you are different in treating nervous patients
Provide evidence of patient satisfaction and relevant testimonials
Include relevant marketing material such as websites etc
Supporting evidence and pictures are welcome.

Best Child Friendly Practice

Show us how you provide an innovative, excellent child health service. How have you improved child dental health in your practice?

Demonstrate your team’s approach to child dental health
Show us how you are different when treating young patients
Provide testimonials.

Charity & Community Engagement Award

The winner will be a practice that can demonstrate a firm commitment to engaging positively with its community and good causes. They will have effectively managed their activities to ensure maximum impact for the business, the team and their chosen causes. They will be able to describe the actions taken and provide evidence of their commitments.

Charity engagement – describe your approach to supporting charity(ies), what kinds of charities you support and the nature of the partnership
Community engagement – describe the local community events, groups etc that you support, and any volunteering that the business has carried out
Financial investment – describe how the business contributes to charity and community support, and other ways you have used to raise funds
Management – explain the way that you manage and sustain momentum in your charity and community work
Team engagement – explain how you have engaged the team in choosing the causes to support, encouraged their fundraising efforts
Communication – describe how you communicate your commitments and achievements in charity and community engagement, and use your communications channels to profile your chosen causes.

Meet the judging panel

Award categories

Best New Practice

Best New Practice

Best Team

Best Team

Best Patient Care

Best Patient Care

Best Smile Makeover

Best Smile Makeover

Best Adult Ortho Case

Best Adult Ortho Case

Best Private Practice

Best Private Practice

Best NHS Practice

Best NHS Practice

Best Digital Practice

Best Digital Practice

Best Young Dentist

Best Young Dentist

Best Hygienist/Therapist

Best Hygienist/Therapist

Best Dental Nurse

Best Dental Nurse

Best Treatment of Nervous Patients

Best Treatment of Nervous Patients

Best Child Friendly Practice

Best Child Friendly Practice

Charity & Community Engagement Award

Charity & Community Engagement Award

The venue

With thanks to our partners

Frequently asked questions