Orthodontic Technicians Association Council

The Orthodontic Technicians Association Council is the governing body of the Orthodontic Technicians Association (OTA), the professional body for specialist orthodontic technicians, primarily in the United Kingdom. Council members are elected by the OTA membership. Traditionally the council consisted of a President (who is an orthodontist and maintains the link with the British Orthodontic Society), the Executive Committee (Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and Membership Secretary) and five non-executive council members. At the Annual General Meeting on 12th March 2005 two more non-executive positions were created due to a steady increase in council duties and commitments making a total of 12 council members. The Council is responsible for the overall governance of the OTA, and has ultimate responsibility for the sustainability and the finances of the organisation. Council members are all volunteers and work within different areas of the profession with hospital specialists, university lecturers and dental laboratory owners all currently holding seats.

Additional recommended knowledge

What is the Correct Way to Check Repeatability in Balances?

Guide to balance cleaning: 8 simple steps

Safe Weighing Range Ensures Accurate Results

David Bearn

Prof. David Bearn PhD MSc BDS FDS(Orth)RCPS MOrthRCS is professor of orthodontics at the University of Dundee and is the current President of the OTA. He was born in Newcastle, United Kingdom. He qualified as a dentist with a BDS (Bachelor in Dental Surgery) from the Charles Clifford Dental Hospital in Sheffield in 1985. He worked as a senior house officer in Sheffield, Barnsley and Dumfries. He obtained his Fellowship in Dental Surgery while he was working as a registrar at Glasgow Dental Hospital.

He returned to his home town in 1991 and joined the staff at Newcastle Dental Hospital where he undertook his orthodontic postgraduate training and obtained his M.Orth (Membership in Orthodontics) in 1994. David was appointed lecturer and honorary consultant in orthodontics at the University of Manchester and Booth Hall Children's Hospital in 1998 and senior lecturer in 2001. David was training programme director for the postgraduate orthodontic programme from 2000 to 2004 during which time he converted the programme to the first postgraduate programme in medicine and dentistry to be delivered entirely through a problem based learning curriculum. From 2004 he has turned his attention to the undergradaute programme where he is responsible for the delivery of the Oral Health and Development curriculum and is chair of The Manchester Dental Programme committee that is introducing an innovative integrated enquiry based learning BDS curriculum in 2006.

He is an accredited member of the Higher Education Academy and has published extensively on learning and teaching. His research interests are in the areas of clinical effectiveness of orthodontic appliances, where he is currently looking closely at the areas of self-ligating bracket systems and micro-implant anchorage, and in outcome assessment in cleft lip and palate, in which he completed his PhD in 2000. He has published extensively in educational and dental literature and lectures internationally. David was a member of the British Orthodontic Conference organising committee with responsibility for the trade exhibition from 2000 - 2003.

He is currently is actively involved in dental technology through his work with the undergraduate programme at Manchester University at finding innovative ways to bring together the training of student dentists and student dental technologists through forming links between the School of Dentistry at Manchester University and Manchester Metropolitan University which trains dental technicians.

Chris Bridle

Christopher Bridle is a leading specialist in orthodontic technology and Chairman of the OTA. He qualified in 1971 and was elected as OTA chairman in 1992. In 2003 he was awarded fellowship of the OTA for his years of service to the association. He is currently the dental laboratory manager at Royal Hampshire County Hospital.

Jeff Lewis

Jeffrey Lewis is a leading dental lecturer and Secretary of the OTA. He is also the association’s Education Secretary and Vice chairman. He qualified at from University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC) at both first and higher dental technology qualification levels beginning in 1981.

After working in private practice for two years he gained a position at the orthodontic department at Cardiff Dental Hospital and School. Jeff became Chief Orthodontic Technician at East Glamorgan Hospital for two years. He was then appointed as a lecturer at UWIC). He has since become senior lecturer and is currently also Head of the Centre for Dental Technology.

His professional interests are orthodontics and the emergence and development of continuing professional development (CPD). UWIC has a dedicated CPD Unit that runs short courses for dental technologists and an active CPD Forum for employers and students alike. In July 2007 Jeff became a UWIC Teaching Fellow and as such is investigating methods of delivery and assessment using web-based technologies.

James Green

James Green is a chief orthodontic technician specialising in cleft lip and palate and is Treasurer of the OTA. He qualified from Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry in July 2001. In November the same year he was awarded the Quintessence Book Prize, which is presented annually to the best student from a London teaching hospital. In 2002 he was the recipient of the third British Orthodontic Society Technicians Award. Following a year of professional training in fixed and removable prosthodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and orthodontics at the Royal London Hospital, he completed the Higher National Certificate in Orthodontics and dento-facial orthopaedics during his two years at the Eastman Dental Institute for Oral Health Care Sciences.

He has been a lecturer in orthodontics and he is currently Chief Orthodontic Technician for the North Thames Regional Cleft Lip and Palate Service, sharing his time between two centres at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford and Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. The majority of his work is infant and paediatric and at Great Ormond Street he is also involved in cases for both the craniofacial team. His research interests are in the area of cleft lip and palate.

James has been a member of the Orthodontic Technicians Association since 2001 and gained his licentiateship in 2003. He was elected to council in 2006 and became treasurer in 2007.

Darren Collinson

Darren Collinson is a specialist orthodontic technician and Membership Secretary of the OTA. He qualified in 1990 from Leeds College of Technology. He went on to complete the Higher National Certificate in Orthodontics at Manchester Metropolitan University. He currently works at Grantham Hospital.

Darren has been a member of the OTA council since 2006 and was elected as membership secretary in 2007.

John Brown

John Brown is a lecturer in orthodontics at the University of Cork in the Republic of Ireland and OTA council member where he serves as head of publicity, proceedings editor and British Standards Institute representative.

S. James Abbott

S. James Abbott is OTA newsletter editor. He qualified from Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) with a BSc (Hons) in Dental Technology in 2002. He spent the next 18 months at the Manchester University Dental Hospital.

He is currently working at the orthodontic laboratory and the Kent and Canterbury Hospital in Kent. James returned to part time study and was awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Studies (Orthodontics) from MMU in 2005. James now has a more senior role at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital, focusing on service production and the technician role in improving patient tolerance of appliances.

He has also calibrated on the PAR Occlusal Index and is using the system as part of a number of ongoing departmental audits. James would like to regularly conduct large scale audits and surveys for OTA members, to assist with their learning and help accrue valuable continuing professional development (CPD) points. James’s main interests within the field lie mostly in research and development. He is concerned with achieving effective links of communications with orthodontists.

Kerry Lancaster

Kerry Lancaster is an orthodontic instructor and OTA Minutes Secretary. She qualified at Brooklands College in Surrey, where she was awarded the City and Guilds Advanced in Orthodontics. She went on to gain the Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Implantology, craniofacial trauma and facial prosthetics. She then went on to Southgate College in London where she gained the City and Guilds Adult and Further education Teachers Certificate.

She is currently deputy chief orthodontic instructor at the Eastman Dental Institute for Oral Health Care Sciences where she has been since 1995, working mainly with postgraduate dentists on the MSc and M.Orth programmes in Orthodontics.

Kerry has been a member of the OTA council since 2003 and in that time she has served as Newsletter Editor and Membership Secretary.

Neil Nairn

Neil Nairn is a lecturer in orthodontics at the University of Glasgow and is the 2008 OTA conference director. He qualified in 1993 after training at Dundee Dental Hospital and Perth Royal Infirmary covering multiple disciplines. He then went on to attain a Higher National Diploma (HND).

His first post qualification position was in the prosthodontic laboratory at Dundee Dental Hospital and achieved an Advanced City & Guilds in Prosthodontic Technology. Neil moved into the field of orthodontics in 1995 and was later awarded the HND in orthodontics. Soon after this he took up position of Chief Orthodontic Technician at Lincoln County Hospital where he remained until taking up his present position as Orthodontic Dental Instructor at Glasgow Dental Hospital replacing his good friend John Brown.

Paul Mallett

Susan Owen

Susan Owen is a multi-award winning orthodontic technician and OTA council member. She was the winner of the fourth British Orthodontic Society Technicians Award in 2003. She is now one of the judges for this award, together with David Bearn, Ed Payne and Neil Nairn. In 2007 she was voted as the winner of the first Aldridge Medal and she will be presented with this at the 2008 OTA conference.

Ed Payne

Edwin Payne is chief orthodontic instructor at the Eastman Dental Institute for Oral Health Care Sciences, working mainly with postgraduate dentists on the MSc and M.Orth programmes in Orthodontics. He is a member of the OTA Council and served as treasurer from 2002 to 2007.