COVID-19 and dentistry the medico-legal and infection control risks: Where are we now?

Dr Caroline Pankhurst is a dentist and Specialist in Oral Microbiology and was formerly a Senior Lecture in Oral Microbiology at King’s College London Dental Institute. She has published extensively in the fields of oral medicine, oral microbiology, and dental unit waterlines including two books on infection control namely “Control of Infection Guidelines for General Dental Practice ” & “Basic Guide to Prevention and Infection Control in Dentistry”. She is actively involved in postgraduate dental education and was a finalist in the e- Learning Awards 2012. She served two terms on the SAC in Medical Microbiology, Royal College of Pathologists.  Caroline was a member of Editorial Boards of “Primary Dental Care” & BMC Oral Health, and President of the BDA Metropolitan Branch in 2006. She served two terms as an elected member on the BDA Central Committee for Dental Academic Staff & is a Council member of the BDA Metropolitan Branch. She is a Trustee of two medical charities the Fungal Infection Trust and the Affordable Health Care Initiative.

Stephen Henderson is Head of the Dental Division of Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland. He is also a specialist in Oral Surgery and up until the first lockdown was still in clinical practice 2 or 3 days a month. In his career, he has worked in various OMFS units and in 1989went into first general then specialist practice. In 2000, he started working for one the professional indemnity providers, gaining experience in all aspects of medico-legal practice in both the UK and internationally. His particular interest has always been professional regulation and complex claims. He completed a masters in medical law in 2005. In 2007, he became a full-time dent-legal adviser.