This September, BSPD’s Annual Scientific Conference is to be hosted in London where the Society will welcome, Dr Urshla Devalia as President for 2025-26. Dr Devalia will be taking over the reins from Dr Shannu Bhatia during the conference, which this year has the theme of “Foundations for the Future”. London is Dr Devalia’s home-city and as BSPD members convene at the Royal College of Music from 11th to 12th September, we will hear from our new President about her drive to integrate mouth care into the healthcare plans for children and young people when they stay in hospital.
Amongst many professional roles, Dr Urshla Devalia, widely known as Oosh, is a Consultant in Paediatric Dentistry, at the Royal National ENT & Eastman Dental Hospitals, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust. She is also the National Lead for Mini Mouth Care Matters (Mini MCM) – and it is this role that will form the thrust of her focus during her BSPD Presidential year.
Mini MCM is an initiative designed to systematically implement and assess the effectiveness of evidence-based oral health practices within hospital settings. Building on the established principles from the Delivering Better Oral Health toolkit, Mini MCM aims to demonstrate how these practices can be embedded effectively and sustainably in hospital environments. The programme empowers medical and allied health professionals to ensure that oral health becomes an integral part of holistic patient care in new clinical contexts. Launched in July 2018, Mini MCM has since been expanded to numerous healthcare settings and is endorsed by BSPD and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH). However, Oosh’s mission is to go further and push for Mini MCM to receive systemwide support and become part of the standard healthcare toolkit.
Dr Devalia has long been a passionate advocate for whole-person healthcare and believes in harnessing the full potential of the oral health workforce. She champions cross-sectional working, ensuring that gaps in workforce provision are addressed and that expertise is delivered to patients in settings closer to their homes. A central focus of Dr Devalia’s work is ensuring equitable access to dental care for vulnerable children and young people. Her professional energies go into identifying and addressing barriers to care, both regionally and nationally, and she is dedicated to supporting initiatives that improve outcomes for those most at risk.
Dr Oosh Devalia, President-Elect, BSPD said: “I am honoured and excited to be taking over the role of President of BSPD in September. For over 70 years, the Society has been laying down the foundations for children and young people to enjoy a lifetime of good oral health. Recently, BSPD has focused specifically on the most vulnerable children in our communities, and I see that recognising the importance of caring for a child’s mouth while they are in hospital as standard practice is part of this responsibility.
“I created Mini Mouth Care Matters seven years ago after seeing first-hand how the oral health of a child who spends a prolonged time in the hospital can suffer. I have even witnessed children’s critical cancer treatments and heart operations having to be postponed due to infections in the mouth. This is why I believe that simple training for healthcare professionals to look inside a child’s mouth as part of their standard checks is so important. Every hospitalised child should have the right to receive preventative oral healthcare measures, such as twice daily toothbrushing during their hospital stay. Mini MCM is simple and quick to perform.
“I am looking forward to working with colleagues at BSPD to push for Mini MCM to become mandatory as we encourage healthcare professionals to remember that oral health is an integral part of overall health and wellbeing. It is our duty to ensure that children who are vulnerable due to their health challenges and in our care are properly supported.”
