Dr Sarah Manton
Celebrating her exceptional contributions
The College is celebrating the exceptional contributions of Dr Sarah Manton as she steps down from her role as Director of the Faculty of Dental Trainers. Throughout her tenure, Dr Manton has demonstrated unwavering dedication to advancing standards in dental education and training. Her leadership has played a pivotal role in shaping the Faculty’s direction, supporting its members, and promoting excellence across the dental profession.
Dr Sarah Manton held the role as Director of the Faculty of Dental Trainers, since the inception of the Faculty in 2016.
At the Faculty's early beginnings Sarah commented that its main purpose would be to provide support and guidance for career development, dental training, the establishment of a platform for recognised dental trainers, as well as promote standards in training. Sarah noted that excellence in dental training leads to the delivery of quality and excellence in patient care. In leading the Faculty, Sarah has delivered this in spades. Not only has Sarah provided leadership to the Faculty of Dental Trainers, but she has also been an examiner and Deputy Chair for the Advisory Board for the Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery examination. Sarah was also Vice-Dean for the Faculty of Dental Surgery from 2014 to 2018.
The first annual Conference of the Faculty of Dental Trainers took place in Birmingham in October 2017 and within its first year the Faculty had grown to over 100 members. Under Sarah’s stewardship, the Faculty of Dental Trainers has been inclusive for the whole dental team. By 2019 the Faculty became closely aligned with the British Association of Dental Nurses, and by 2020 the international reach of the faculty saw membership extending to India and Malaysia, with Taiwan and Hong Kong following in 2021. The membership continues to grow with Sarah’s expert assistance being given to many who express an interest in being recognised as a dental trainer. Sarah has led the incrementally developing membership assessment panel over the last 9 years, who carefully monitor the membership categories and assessment criteria.
The Faculty Executive Committee is led by Sarah at each meeting with her gentle and reassuring style being complemented by active questioning when needed. This has culminated in the Dental Non-technical Training Skills (DeNTS) package, brilliantly designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the dental team by teaching the non-technical cognitive and social skills underpinning both individual and team performance. Sarah has taken it upon herself to promote the DeNTS package to a number of audiences, including the Association of Dental Educators in Europe (ADEE) and the South-East Asian Association for Dental Education (SEAADE), with courses being delivered both in the UK and in the Far East. DeNTS is now very much in the spotlight of dental training for undergraduate and postgraduate students, with countless trainees and patients of course having Sarah to thank for its solid footing. More recently, a tool for Dental Nurses to Observe non-Technical Skills (DNOT) has been developed by the Faculty and it is in the process of being rolled out along with other resources for trainers under development.
Sarah has taken the Faculty of Dental Trainers from its humble beginnings through to the flourishing multi-professional Faculty that it has become. Sarah has invested a considerable amount of time in driving the Faculty forwards, as well as delivering other activities for RCSEd. Moreover, Sarah has also worked tirelessly to establish the highest standards of dental training to ensure all members of the dental team not only develop, but also maintain the highest skills for training in order to provide excellence in clinical care for patients and populations around the world. Dental training is ever changing, and despite the COVID pandemic turning the world upside down, Sarah saw the opportunity for evolution and adaptation in dental training, taking advantage of the increasingly online model of delivery where the Faculty has been at the forefront of cutting-edge webinar topics and digital delivery for training initiatives.
Sarah leaves a substantial legacy as she moves on to the next chapter in life. Through the Faculty of Dental Trainers, she has inspired the training journeys for countless members of the dental team. The positive impact of excellence in dental training has inevitably delivered quality and excellence in patient care, and will continue to do so for generations to come. Thank you Sarah!