Northern Irish orthodontist inaugurated as BDA president

Roz McMullan has been installed as the British Dental Association (BDA) president.

In addition to being a leading figure in a ground-breaking scheme to support dentists’ mental wellbeing in Northern Ireland, Dr McMullan has been a force behind the BDA’s presence in the country, and former chair of both NI and UK councils. She retired from her position as consultant orthodontist in the Western Trust in 2016.

She has worked in multidisciplinary teams and was instrumental in setting up a nurse-liaison service in the Western Trust, supporting babies born with cleft lips and palates and their families.

Dr McMullan has a long-held interest in governance and served for many years on the Trust Quality Improvement Committee, as well as being the clinical lead in specialist surgery. She has served as both secretary and chair of the British Orthodontic Society, and as lead author in a report on outcome standards for patients undergoing fixed appliance therapy in the hospital service.

A long-standing member of the BDA, Dr McMullan was instrumental in establishing the BDA Northern Ireland office and became president of the Northern Ireland branch in 1999. She was elected to the NI Council, and served as chair from 2015 until recently.

Commenting on her inauguration, Dr McMullan said: ‘I feel hugely privileged to receive this accolade from the BDA, and thank the association for the confidence and trust it has shown in allowing me to serve as its president for 2019/20.

‘I am passionate about making a difference to the wellbeing of my chosen profession, and it’s my
honour to continue doing that
as president.’