L-R Heidi Marshall, Chair of NASDAL; Jason Wong, CDO England; Eleanor Coleman, NHS Sussex; AJ Sharma, Smile Dental Care; Tracey Thompson, Smile Dental Care and Kate Clark, Director of Communications, BSPD.
CDO England, Jason Wong; Chair of NASDAL (National Association of Specialist Dental Accountants and Lawyers), Heidi Marshall and the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry’s (BSPD) Director of Communications, Kate Clark, presented the NASDAL Dental Check by One Practice of the Year Award at BDIA Dental Showcase at Docklands ExCeL.
This award is presented each year by NASDAL to recognise the outstanding commitment of practices to the Dental Check by One (DCby1) campaign. Launched by the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) in partnership with the Office of the Chief Dental Officer England, the aim of the campaign is to increase the number of children who access dental care aged 0-2 years, by encouraging dental appointments for babies before their first birthday.
The winner of the NASDAL Dental Check by One Practice of the Year 2026 Award and the recipient of the £1000 prize is NHS Sussex ICB 0-3 Programme – Participating Practices.
CDO Jason Wong said, “I am pleased to again be a judge and able to present the NASDAL Dental Check by One Practice of the Year award. Children are our priority and prevention is now one of the most important aims of the 10 year health plan. It is always heartening to see the efforts many go to deliver advice and care to our youngest patients.”
Heidi Marshall, Chair of NASDAL, added, “I look forward to judging this award each year and seeing the extraordinary commitment shown by practices across the country is truly humbling. We created the award so that the £1,000 prize helps the winning practices extend access for babies and young children even further. It clearly means a great deal to those involved, and at NASDAL we are proud to support such an important initiative.
Recognising business excellence in dentistry has always mattered to NASDAL — and this award proves that doing the right thing for children also makes sound business sense.
My sincere congratulations go to the 16 participating practices in the NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board 0-3 scheme, worthy winners of the NASDAL Dental Check by One Practice of the Year 2026 award. Their development of a network of primary care–based Oral Health Champions to deliver targeted prevention messages for children and families is exemplary.
So far, 309 new 0-3s have accessed care and 200 prevention pathways have been delivered. Thirty outreach visits have supported families without a dental home, resulting in 78 new attendances. In total, 270 toothbrush packs and 30 fluoride varnish applications were provided.
We also have to mention the practice who were awarded Highly Commended for their efforts:
Nuvo Dental
Well done to all.”
Eleanor Coleman, Senior Manager Primary Care – Commissioning, NHS Sussex said:, “I’m incredibly proud to receive this award. This service was created to make it easier for babies and toddlers to access NHS dentistry at the right time, and to support families with simple, evidence‑based prevention from the very start. Seeing the impact it’s having for children and parents across Sussex makes this recognition especially meaningful. The SCFT Oral Health Promotion team were delighted to offer our services to train the new Oral Health Champions. They are working in local communities to encourage and promote dental access for 0-3s. We hope to have given them the skills to offer 1:1 support for their patients and inspire others to protect their smiles. Through their dedication, children learn habits that last a lifetime and families gain confidence in caring for their teeth.”
Ajesh Sharma, Operations Manager, Smile Dental Care added, “Smile Dental Care are delighted to work with Ellie and the NHS Sussex Commissioning team on this valuable pilot programme.”
Dr Oosh Devalia, President, British Society of Paediatric Dentistry commented, “The BSPD judges were very impressed with the submission from the NHS Sussex ICB who are worthy winners of this year’s DCby1 award. This is an inspiring example of an ICB engaging 16 high street dental practices working towards a united goal to improve paediatric access and prevention services. They are significantly helping the prospects of infants in their community to get on track for a lifetime of good oral health. A preventative approach to children’s oral health is evidence-based and I hope that the shining example of NHS Sussex ICB’s Access & Prevention Programme will inspire other ICBs. Developing a network of Oral Health Champions to deliver prevention messages for children and their families is a sound and practical approach that our judges felt deserved to win. We were also impressed by the Highly Commended winner, Nuvo Dental Plymouth who were able to demonstrate a significant increase in the number of babies seen and were creative in their deployment of the full dental team. Congratulations to all involved.”
