Celebrating the contribution of an outstanding younger dentist: Reena Wadia

Reena has always been an exceptionally forward-thinking and hard-working dentist and passionate about what she does, with a clear eye on developing her skills and expertise to make her the best dentist she can be, which is why we felt she was an exceptional candidate for the Award this year.

The Joy Harrild Award was set up four years ago and commemorates the life and contribution of young dentist Joy Harrild, a former Young Dentists Committee member, whose life was tragically cut short in 2016 in a fatal car accident.

Joy’s memory lives on in this Award and aims to celebrate the achievements of younger dentists working in our profession, who don’t always get a chance to get national recognition, and to inspire others to achieve great things too.

Reena graduated in 2011 from Barts and has worked in general dentistry and hospital posts. 

She became the youngest ever specialist periodontist to qualify for that specialism, an impressive achievement, which I’m sure involved working both very long days, and studying very long nights. Her dedication to her work and to our profession is worthy of recognition!

She now runs her own perio practice, RW Perio, and also works part-time at King’s College Dental Hospital as an associate specialist.

Always wanting to further her knowledge, she has been influential in the British Society of Periodontology (BSP), giving her input into working groups and publications. She recently played a key role in the BSPs working group for a new perio-classification, to make the new classification easier for dentists and teams to implement, and she’s published several papers on this in the BDJ. She is also the social media lead for the European Federation of Periodontology.

Many of you may also be aware of her blog, inspired by her love of sharing her learning and supporting others to reach higher in their careers. 

Reena never rests on her laurels and regularly attends courses to continue to develop her skills. Recent courses have included mucogingival surgery courses by P. Allen in Madrid and P. Cortellini and M. Tonetti in Florence. She also is a co-editor for the BDJ Other Journals in Brief Sections and she is a reviewer for the BDJ and is a contributor for the BDJ Portfolio including BDJ Team.

She’s also been active in her local BDA branch in Croydon for many years, and supported CPD and networking events, aiming to inspire others and to share her knowledge, as well as learning.

She’s also been proactive in sharing oral health messages with patients and has received coverage in the national press and lifestyle magazines, as well as the BBC’s Asian Network radio station.

At a national level, Reena is also a board member at the Faculty of General Dental Practice and has gained recognition for her skills and work from many other dental organisations.

Outside of her busy work schedule, Reena contributes to her community, and is involved with her local temple and has organised health fairs, promoting oral health education. She also visits local schools and care homes to promote good oral health.

Reena will be speaking at the British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show this year in May, so do come along and meet her if you can!

Find out more about how to nominate someone for the Joy Harrild Award this year, the closing date is 30 April 2020, if you have any questions or need help, do get in touch!

Nikki Patel, Chair
BDA Young Dentists Committee