Staff Profile

Current Position: Clinical Lecturer in Restorative Dentistry

I graduated from Newcastle University in 2013 with Honours and Distinction in Clinical Dentistry. Since then I held various posts across the North East including positions in general practice, senior house officer in oral and maxillofacial surgery and community dental officer in County Durham most recently.

In 2017 I was appointed to the role of Clinical Fellow in Restorative dentistry, during which I had responsibility for the Stage 3 BDS Complete Denture skills course and Personal and Professional Development course. I was also lead for the PARTNERs summer school for dentistry (2017-2024). I have recently completed by PhD in the field of dental education, specifically defining the attributes of the newly qualified dentist.

I am currently a Clinical Lecturer in Restorative Dentistry, with responsibility for Personal and Professional Development course for BDS and BSc programmes and Clinical and Academic Teaching Lead for Removable Prosthodontics. I am part of the group leading on transition to the Safe Practitioner Framework.

Qualifications:

2026 - PhD Defining the attributes of a newly qualified through the lens of the stakeholders of dental education

2021 - Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Studies in Academic Practice

2019 - Fellow Higher Education Academy

2015 - Member of the Faculty of Dental Surgery

2013 - Bachelor of Dental Surgery with Honours and Distinction in Clinical Dentistry

Memberships:

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow

British Dental Association

North East Odontological Society

British Society for Restorative Dentistry

Association for Dental Education in Europe

British Alliance for Research in Dental Education and Scholarship

Roles:

Secretary - Northern Counties Branch, British Dental Association

Committee Member - Dental Academic Staff Committee, British Dental Association

Treasurer - British Alliance for Research in Dental Education and Scholarship

Research interests:

• Dental education
• Clinical education
• Preparedness for practice
• Removable prosthodontics education
• Simulation in undergraduate education

Current work

• Defining the attributes of the newly qualified dentist
• AI in dental education
• Integration of digital workflows in dental education

Postgraduate supervision

MSc/MClinDent:

Exploring student/dental teaching staff perspectives of barriers and facilitators to student access to support services

Exploring the integration of digital workflows into undergraduate dental programmes in the UK

Clinical and Academic Teaching Lead for Removable Prosthodontics

Stages 1-5 BDS and 1-3 BSc Personal and Professional Development Course Lead

Restorative Management of Tooth Loss course lead

Member of Board of Examiners Stage 3 BSc

• Articles

  • Mullan F, Mather H. Removable Prosthodontics Education and Experience in the United Kingdom, from Undergraduate to Foundation Training. British Dental Journal 2025, 239, 486-494.
  • Mullan F, Mather H, Bateman H, Cairns A, Nasseripour M, Binnie V, Dawson L, McCracken G, Ellis J. Recognising and supporting authentic learning in a changing world: the opportunities and threats of AI. British Dental Journal 2024, 237(8), 659-662.
  • Mather H, Bateman H, Taylor J, VC Vernazza, Rothwell C, McCracken G, Ellis J. From Inputs to Outputs: an analysis of the changes to learning outcomes for dental undergraduate education in the UK. British Dental Journal 2022, 232, 101-107.
  • Mather H, Thomason M, Ellis J. Are UK graduates equipped with the skill set required to meet the demands of the UK's edentulous population?. British Dental Journal 2018, 225, 15-18.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • Mather H, Ellis I, Mullan F. Trends in Removable Prosthodontic Education: Complete Dentures. In: The 1st UK Restorative Dentistry & Prosthodontic Conference. 2021, Online.
  • Mather H, Bateman H, Taylor J, Vernazza C, Rothwell C, McCracken G, Ellis J. Curriculum mapping as a tool to identify changes in regulator learning outcomes for undergraduate dental programmes in the UK. In: Association for Dental Education in Europe. 2021, Virtual: ADEE.