In March 2019 we launched our Green Impact dentistry programme across the South East of England to promote sustainable practices and support dentists through a sustainability leadership course. 

We've been working with dentists for a few years, since the University of Bristol postgraduate dental school used Green Impact to instil good sustainability activity in dental practices where their students were training back in 2012. 

Building on this and inspired by our Royal College of General Practioners Green Impact programme and our other work in healthcare, Public Health England East of England have funded our dentist programme across Anglia and Essex. So far 22 dental practices have registered to take part in the programme. Practices outside of this region can also use the toolkit although won't benefit from a full Green Impact support package. Already we have practices across the national explroring sustainabiltiy in dental practice. 

This programme is very much a partnership approach, as we've worked with Public Health England, the Dental Sustainability Advisory Group and their members and the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare to design the programme, toolkit and launch a series of webinars. 

Dental schools throughout the country were invited to feed into the programme design with their participation creating good relationships in order to recruit students to conduct the Green Impact environmental audits of each dental surgery later on in the year. Some of the schools are now looking at including sustainability in their curriculum, to show students how to be sustainable whilst practicing dentistry. 

Alongside this, we're developing a leaderships development course for really keen dentists.  

If you're interested in our dentistry programme, visit www.greenimpact.org.uk/dentists, or email sustainability@nus.org.uk.

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