ONG Aims
To act on behalf of all orthodontic Dental Nurses and Orthodontic Therapists to advance high standards by developing and expanding their roles under ‘Dental Care Professionals’.
ONG was founded in 1994 and became an affiliated organisation of the British Orthodontic Society in 1997.
ONG Objectives
To develop the Orthodontic Dental Nurses and Therapist roles within the Specialist Group.
To provide continuing professional education via study days, webinars and the British Orthodontic Conference
To keep the membership informed by means of e-journals, our website, and social media pages
To recommend to the GDC changes needed in legislation and workforce development plans
To liaise with relevant professional bodies to promote the status of:
- Orthodontic Dental Nurses and Therapists.
- To manage the Group’s finances to achieve its objectives.
- To keep members up to date and plan for the future.
What does the group provide?
Regular study events to include the DCP programme at the British Orthodontic Conference and at least one webinar a year to provide verifiable CPD
Regular members e-journal to provide information and articles of interest
A website with public-facing pages and a private members section
Help and Guidance in the specialist field of Orthodontics for its members
Online ProDental CPD Courses with the membership
Group badge to identify membership of the Group
Work with suppliers to identify benefits for members
What is the function of the committee?
Meet the aims of the Group
Provide for the needs of the members
Promote the Group within the dental profession
Keep in touch with members
Manage the finances of the Group to achieve its aims and functions
Who is on the committee?
The committee comprises of ten personnel all registered with the ONG.
The Committee Officers are: President, Chair, Administrative Secretary, Finance Officer, Web and Social Media Officer and nurse and therapists representatives.
Committee Members
Pam qualified as an Orthodontic Therapist in 2012. She holds post qualifications in, radiography, orthodontic nursing, record taking, oral health with merit, mentorship clinical education and social prescribing. She has worked for MFT NHS Foundation Trust for 20 years in the orthodontic department and has been involved in treating a variety of complex malocclusions.
Since qualifying, Pam has been teaching the trainee orthodontic therapists on the Manchester course where she delivers various lectures and carries out hands-on teaching using the typodonts to educate the new future of Orthodontic Therapists. She also teaches on the post-qualification course for Orthodontic Nurses. Pam has experience in speaking at conferences and study days and continues to enjoy doing this.
Pam has been an ONG committee for six years and has enjoyed being the in-editor role for the E-Journal. She is looking forward to starting her role as Chair of the group and will continue to uphold her passion for the roles of orthodontic nurses and therapists whilst keeping their skills and education at the forefront of the group’s values.
Sarah is a qualified orthodontic therapist working full-time at New Cross Hospital, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. Caring for routine and complex MDT orthodontic patients within the secondary care setting under consultant supervision. Sarah qualified at Birmingham Dental Hospital with a combined National /Hospital Qualification, continuing her role in GDP and the Community Dental Service for Dudley and eventually gaining further qualifications in Oral Health, Radiography, Sedation and Orthodontic Nursing in 2012. Sarah qualified in Orthodontic Therapy in 2013 from Warwick and has been actively involved in departmental clinical governance, ad-hoc teaching, service initiatives and CPD. Sarah has always believed in lifelong learning.
Claire has been a dental nurse since 2004. She works at Royal Bolton Hospital in the oral and maxillofacial and orthodontic departments and is also a tutor and Internal Quality Assurance assessor at The Bay Dental Training Services. Claire gained Fellowship with the BADN in 2019 and won Dental Nurse of the Year 2020. Claire is the Secretary for the ONG and has been on the committee since 2020.
Tamiley worked as a dental nurse for 27 years. Having started her nurse training at Manchester Dental Hospital, she then worked in general dental practice, HMP dental service and specialist orthodontic practice as a senior dental nurse prior to moving to work at the Royal Stoke Hospital orthodontic/restorative/maxillofacial department. The move into orthodontic therapy finally became a reality in 2014 when she started her training with the Leeds Orthodontic Therapy course. Tam has a special interest in working with patients with ASD and other learning challenges.
Amy is the newest committee member to join the Orthodontic National Group. She has taken on the role of sponsorship officer. Amy recently qualified as an orthodontic therapist, having taken her RCS Eng exams in April. She thoroughly enjoyed her training and tuition at Leeds Dental Institute. She works at an independent orthodontic practice in Southampton. She has worked in dentistry for 22 years, with the last 7 years in orthodontics. She has lots of additional duty certificates including radiography, fluoride application and PAR scoring. Amy is looking forward to being an active member of the Orthodontic National Group and engaging with her fellow colleagues.
Claire is a hospital Consultant and GDC registered Specialist in Orthodontics. Since 2013 Claire has exclusively practised orthodontics and undertook her orthodontic training at the University of Leeds where she was awarded an MSc in Research and Membership in Orthodontics from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2017, as well as winning the British Orthodontic Society gold medal for her cases.
In addition to her clinical work, Claire is active in research and education. She has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals, including a study on the impact of orthodontic therapists on outcomes. She is also the current West Yorkshire MCN chair where she advises on the local provision of orthodontic care.
Joycee is a dedicated dental professional and an active member of the Orthodontic National Group Committee (ONG). A graduate of the University of Bristol and qualified in Orthodontic Therapy from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, she has gained invaluable experience in both NHS and private orthodontics, developing a holistic understanding of how innovative practices can enhance patient outcomes. She stays current with methods that improve patient care, with a special interest in treating neurodivergent patients, as well as patients with mental health conditions and learning differences, helping them build confidence through smile transformations. Her professional experience spans both clinical and non-clinical roles in dentistry and orthodontics.
An advocate for the development of dental professionals, Joycee values the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded, forward-thinking colleagues on the ONG committee and is eager to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of orthodontic care.
Debra has been a dental nurse for 44 years; working in General Dental Practice, Community Dental Service and Secondary Care. She holds post registration qualifications in Conscious Sedation, Radiography, Oral Health, Orthodontic and record taking. She also has qualifications in Teaching, Leadership and Management; most recently completing the NHS Senior Leadership programme.
Debra has been a member of the Orthodontic National Group (ONG) since its inception in 1994 and was a committee member for 27 years; serving as Chairman for nine years and president for three years, a term which ended in 2021. During her term Debra was successful in working closely with the British Orthodontic Society (BOC.) In 2008 she oversaw the official affiliation of ONG with the BOS.
She was an active member of the working group which saw the introduction of orthodontic therapists, work included writing the syllabus for course and working with the GDC to write and implement the Scope of Practice. Debra is a past examiner for the Royal College of Surgeons (Edin) for the orthodontic therapy examination.
She works tirelessly at both a local and national level representing dental nurses and therapists at Stakeholder meetings which include the General Dental Council, the Royal College of Surgeons (Edin), The English Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Utilisation and Resistance (ESPAUR) task group. Prior to GDC registration Debra was part of the working party which implemented the first Scope of Practice for dental nurses and has been involved in the subsequent reviews.
Debra has recently been a member of the Advancing Dental Care, review group. The document to support this work has recently been published. This was a three-year review looking at dental education and the training infrastructure to best support patient and population needs.
She received two national awards; one presented by the British Orthodontic Society (2016) and one by the British Dental Association (2017) for outstanding contribution and distinguished service to Orthodontics.
Laura’s career in dentistry began in 2000 as a trainee dental nurse. During her training she quickly developed a passion for patient care and advancing her clinical skills. Laura has gained post-qualification certifications in dental sedation, radiography, and orthodontic nursing, as well as relevant teaching qualifications, which have allowed her to develop an expertise in education.
Since 2005, Laura has been based at the orthodontic department at King’s College Hospital, London. In 2016 she successfully gained the Diploma in Orthodontic Therapy, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. In addition to her clinical commitments, Laura is also part of the Dental teaching team at Kings, training both dental nurses and orthodontic therapists. She is part of the leadership team within the Orthodontic Therapy course, Kings Health Partners. In this role she is actively involved with the delivery of the course, provides teaching and mentoring to orthodontic therapy trainees. Laura is also a current examiner for the Diploma in Orthodontic Therapy, Royal College of Surgeons of England.
Laura has experience in working in secondary care, specialist NHS orthodontic and private practices. This combination has allowed her to provide clinical care across a range of environments and increased her experience of treating different malocclusions with contemporary orthodontic appliances.
With over two decades of experience, Laura remains passionate about orthodontics, patient care, and education. Her career continues to be driven by a commitment of professional development and a genuine desire to make a positive impact on patients, training and the orthodontic speciality.
Hi! My name is Mel and I am an orthodontic therapist working both in hospital (Kettering General) and in specialist practice (in Bedford)
I started my career as a dental nurses, training and subsequently working in the orthodontic department at the Eastman Dental Hospital. At EDH I was heavily involved with teaching orthodontics to the student dental nurses until I was lucky enough to be accepted onto the first ever Ortho therapy course at Leeds Dental Institute in 2007. Since then I have tutored on the Leeds course, been an examiner for the royal college of surgeons England and, more recently been involved with training dental nurses on a foundation degree course at Northampton Uni and mentoring and supporting student orthodontic therapists. I love to teach and have a wealth of knowledge and experience to do this.
I am married to Craig, we have two boys and a Labrador called Rocky!
Alex started as a trainee orthodontic nurse in 2015 and has worked within specialist practice ever since. She is an advocate for orthodontic representation within scaled corporate settings, as well as spotlighting the professional development opportunities orthodontics has to offer for dental nurses.
Outside of dental nursing, Alex is a certified life and success coach and has blended this passion, presenting at sessions across the UK to over 250 dental nurses on how to ‘coach your career’ in 2024/2025. She was awarded Supervisor/Mentor of the Year by the SBDN in 2024 and Employee of the Year in 2025 by her workplace.
Alex also enjoys going on yoga holidays and trips to the spa, and has a pet parrot named Pistachio.
