Barry Cockcroft (dentist)

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Barry Michael Cockcroft CBE was the Chief Dental Officer (CDO) for England. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Early life

Cockcroft qualified from the Dental School at the University of Birmingham in 1973. [2] [3]

Career

Cockcroft was a dentist working in Rugby in general practice for 27 years during which time he represented dentists locally on the Warwickshire Local Dental Committee (LDC), and nationally, after he was elected to the General Dental Services Committee (GDSC) in 1990. [1] [2] He was appointed Deputy CDO in November 2002, and he became the acting CDO on 1 October 2005, [4] before he took up the CDO post in July 2006. [3]

He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours. [5] While Chief Dental Officer for England, Cockcroft launched the "if in doubt, get checked out" Mouth Cancer Awareness Week campaign in November 2006. [6]

In 2015, after leaving the post at the Department of Health, Cockcroft became a non-executive director at UK Corporate dental provider MyDentist (Formally Integrated Dental Holdings), [7] one of the largest providers of NHS and private dentistry in the country.

Cockcroft was "instrumental" in developing two new dentistry schools in the United Kingdom, the Peninsula Dental School and the dental school at the University of Central Lancashire. [8]

After Steve Bedser stood down from the role, Cockcroft became interim chair of the British Fluoridation Society having previously been elected to its executive body. [9] Cockroft now continues to serve as chair of the society. [10] As chair of the society, Cockcroft promotes the public health benefits of water fluoridation and supports dentists in sharing this information with their patients. [11] Cockcroft has commented that "fluoride really helps us close this gap between those that are less well off and those from more affluent backgrounds". [12]

Personal life

Cockcroft is married and has three children. [2] [3]

He appeared on the 2012 Christmas Special of the BBC's University Challenge . [13]

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The water fluoridation controversy arises from political, ethical, economic, and health considerations regarding the fluoridation of public water supplies. For deprived groups in both maturing and matured countries, international and national agencies and dental associations across the world support the safety and effectiveness of water fluoridation. Proponents of water fluoridation see it as a question of public health policy and equate the issue to vaccination and food fortification, citing significant benefits to dental health and minimal risks. In contrast, opponents of water fluoridation view it as an infringement of individual rights, if not an outright violation of medical ethics, on the basis that individuals have no choice in the water that they drink, unless they drink more expensive bottled water. A small minority of scientists have challenged the medical consensus, variously claiming that water fluoridation has no or little cariostatic benefits, may cause serious health problems, is not effective enough to justify the costs, and is pharmacologically obsolete.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water fluoridation in Australia</span>

Australia is one of many countries that have water fluoridation programs currently operating. As of March 2012, artificially fluoridated drinking water is administered to 70% or more of the population in all states and territories. The acceptance of the benefits of water fluoridation occurred in Australia in December 1953, roughly two years after acceptance in the United States. Many of Australia's drinking water supplies subsequently began fluoridation in the 1960s and 1970s. By 1984 almost 66% of the Australian population had fluoridated drinking water, represented by 850 towns and cities. Some areas within Australia have natural fluoride levels in the groundwater, which was estimated in 1991 to provide drinking water to approximately 0.9% of the population.

The dental care in adolescent Australians is overall good. Studies have shown that the majority of the children in some regions of Australia are receiving the dental care that they need. However, other studies have shown that the children and young adults still encounter poor quality dental care, and some do not have access to a dentist due to financial barriers. Children in the lower income groups were the most likely to not receive the dental care they needed because of the cost of the treatment. There are several things that the adolescents can do in order to stay proactive in healthy dental hygiene. Young Australians today have less tooth decay because of fluoride. Natural fluoride found in water has significantly increased the dental health of the adolescents, and decreased the tooth-aches. For those that do not have access to water with fluoride due to the area in which they live in, they can use alternatives such as toothpaste that does contain fluoride.

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References

  1. 1 2 "Chief Dental Officer". Department of Health (UK). Retrieved 3 December 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "About the Chief Dental Officer". Department of Health (UK). Retrieved 3 December 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Who are we? Barry Cockcroft". General Dental Council. Archived from the original on 19 December 2007. Retrieved 3 December 2007.
  4. ↑ "New Acting Chief Dental Officer appointed". Department of Health (UK). Retrieved 3 December 2007.
  5. ↑ "No. 59282". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2009. p. 7.
  6. ↑ "If in doubt, get checked out". British Dental Journal. 201 (11): 694–694. 1 December 2006. doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.4814330 – via www.nature.com.
  7. ↑ "Barry Cockcroft, CBE, is appointed non-executive director of IDH Group". www.mydentist.co.uk.
  8. ↑ "Former Chief Dental Officer's return visit to University of Plymouth". British Dental Journal. 237 (5): 313–313. 1 September 2024. doi:10.1038/s41415-024-7868-8 – via www.nature.com.
  9. ↑ "Barry Cockcroft to take the helm at BFS". Nature Publishing Group. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  10. ↑ "About the British Fluoridation Society". Fluoridation of Drinking Water - British Fluoridation Society. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  11. ↑ Bissett, Miss Gaby (19 May 2021). "Water fluoridation – stopping the spread of misinformation". Dentistry.co.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  12. ↑ Finn, Claire (16 May 2024). "British Fluoridation Society". Fluoride in drinking water – is it good or bad?. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  13. ↑ "Christmas University Challenge – Results". www.blanchflower.org. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
Government offices
Preceded by Chief Dental Officer for England
October 2005 – February 2015		Succeeded by


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