Staff Profile

Sarah is an honorary academic in primary care and a General Dental Practitioner working in primary care providing urgent dental care and minor oral surgery.

Her research is centred on the role of dental professionals in responding to domestic violence and abuse, with a particular focus on the perspectives of patients with lived experience of intimate partner violence and abuse. Her work seeks to understand barriers and facilitators to disclosure within dental settings, and to identify opportunities for improving communication, safeguarding, and multidisciplinary collaboration.

She has a specific interest in the integration of trauma-informed care within dentistry, including its incorporation into undergraduate and postgraduate education, as well as its application in routine clinical practice. Her wider academic interests include health inequalities, safeguarding, and the role of primary care services in delivering holistic, patient-centred care.

Through her clinical and academic work, she aims to contribute to the development of evidence-based approaches that enhance the capacity of dental teams to provide safe, supportive, and equitable care for vulnerable populations.

Sarah is currently using qualitative techniques to explore the perspectives of patients with lived experience of intimate partner violence and abuse on their interactions with primary care dental services. This work focuses on understanding how patients perceive the role of the dental team in relation to disclosure, communication, and support, as well as identifying barriers and facilitators to safe and effective engagement. The findings aim to inform the development of trauma-informed approaches within dental practice and contribute to improvements in education, policy, and clinical care.

If you would like to find out more, please visit Visiting The Dentist With Lived Experience of Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse  – Fill in form

Previous publication;

Farmer, S., Ellis, J., Alderson, H. (2024). A qualitative study of dentists’ and dental students’ preparedness to support patients with lived experience of intimate partner violence and abuse. BDJ,  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-024-8059-3.