Sleeping giant

29 July 2009

The Chief Orthodontic Technician at the Royal London Hospital, Kieran McLaughlin MSc, has been conferred the Orthodontic Technician Award for Distinguished Service for 2009.

Kieran qualified in 1977 and received his advanced certificate in 1980.In 1994 he became the first Orthodontic Technician to gain an MSc, graduating from the Queen Mary University of London Faculty of Medicine in 1994.Since 1995 he has worked with Dr Ama Johal and Dr Joanna Battagel to design appliances for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea and has also worked with Dr Neville Bass to develop the Dynamax appliance.

He is an invited lecturer on obstructive sleep apnoea and functional appliances and has presented his work nationally and internationally.He has lectured for the Orthodontic Technician’s Association and the British Dental Association and has presented his research at the International Association of Dental Research conferences in Singapore and San Francisco.

Kieran has also taught all aspects of orthodontic appliance design and construction to undergraduate and post graduate dental students as well as student dental technicians at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry for more than twenty years, and has almost thirty years of experience in orthodontic technology.

A recent publication which was cited in his nomination by Dr Johal, Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Orthodontist at Queen Mary University of London, Barts & The London School of Medicine & Dentistry was entitled ‘The effective of mandibular advancement splints on awake upper airway and masticatory muscle activity in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea’ which was published in Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging.*

David Bearn, Chair of the Scholarships and Grants Committee of the BOS commented “The Committee conferred the 2009 Award on Kieran McLaughlin in recognition of the huge and on-going contribution he has made to the Profession and we salute his achievements over an incredible thirty years of service”.

For more information about the BOS visit www.bos.org.uk

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* Johal A., Gill G., Ferman A., and McLaughlin K (2006)

“The effective of mandibular advancement splints on awake upper airway and masticatory muscle activity in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea”

Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging, 27, 47-53

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