Winners of the Inaugural Welsh Dental Awards Announced
Gleaming smiles were seen all around, as the Welsh Dental Awards recognised the best Wales’s dental industry has to offer.
Held at the Hilton Hotel on the 8th of May 2026, hosted by BBC Wales’s Behnaz Akhgar, the Welsh dental community gathered for the first ever Welsh Dental Awards!
The awards have been established to celebrate the incredible achievements of Wales’s top dental professionals, to recognise the essential role they play, providing both life-changing and life-saving dental care. This year acknowledged both a winner and a highly commended category, due to our high number of incredible applicants.
The Winners, and Highly Commended individuals and practices are as follows:
Patient Experience of the Year
Winner – Ruabon Road Dental Practice
Highly Commended – Wyndham House Dental Practice
Oral Health Excellence of the Year
Winner – Wyndham House Dental Practice
Highly Commended – Kirsty Chappell – Kirsty’s Smile Academy
Compassionate Care of the Year
Winner – Whitland Dental Co
Highly Commended – Pontcanna Dental Care
Community Initiative of the Year
Winner – The Dental Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) – University Dental Hospital
Highly Commended – Wyndham House Dental
Green Practice of the Year
Winner – South Wales Specialist Oral Surgery and Dental Implant Centre
Highly Commended – Y Bont Faen Dental Centre
Digital Practice of the Year
Winner – Red House Dental Practice
Highly Commended – Y Bont Faen Dental Centre
Practice Transformation of the Year
Winner – Y Bont Faen Dental Centre
Highly Commended – Whitland Dental Co
Dental Nurse of the Year
Winner – Jasmin Mae James – Brynteg Dental Practice
Highly Commended – Heidi Clay – Rhoose Dental Practice
Dental Hygienist/Therapist of the Year
Winner – Catherine Teear – Wyndham House Dental Practice
Highly Commended – Chanelle Bowen
Receptionist of the Year
Winner – Hannah Neale – Brynteg Dental Practice
Highly Commended – Cheryl Roberts – Wyndham House Dental Practice
Treatment Coordinator of the Year
Winner – Jayde Thomas – Brynteg Dental Practice
Highly Commended – Chloe Harris – Dental Lounge Glynneath
Practice Manager of the Year
Winner – Vikki Leigh Edwards – Laffan Dental Care
Highly Commended – Claire Seaborne – Newport Orthodontic Centre
Practice Principle of the Year
Winner – Dr James Hayden – Hayden Dental
Highly Commended – Dr Alexandra Davies – Whitland Dental Co
Rising Star Dentist of the Year (Under 33)
Winner – Oliver Jones – Mumbles Dental Suite
Highly Commended – Dr Ryia Roy – Smart Smiles Ebbw Vale
Dentist of the Year
Winner – Dr Rory Dewhurst
Highly Commended – Dr Chloe Harrington-Taylor – Hereford Dental Implant Clinic
Facial Aesthetic Excellence of the Year
Winner – Dr Sarah Khalil – Wellwood Dentistry & Aesthetics
Highly Commended – Nadia Khan & Sara Herbert Evans – Hayden Dental
Dental Team of the Year
Winner – Wyndham House Dental Practice
Highly Commended – Rumney Endontics & Dental Care, Newport Orthodontic
Centre
Welsh Practice of the Year
Winner – Whitland Dental Co
Highly Commended – Bethcar Dental
Welsh Dental Awards Champion 2026 – Wyndham House Dental Practice
The co-founder of the awards, Wesley Skene (WS Marketing) said: “The inaugural awards have shown why the Welsh dental sector is so important to Wales. It’s this industry that is at the forefront of the Welsh healthcare, and we are incredibly proud to shine a light on the work that is being done across Wales.”
Co-founder Dr Zena Aseeley said: “Congratulations to all our finalists and winners alike. Friday was a hugely successful evening, and the Welsh dental industry did itself proud. You truly are the best of the best, and we look forward to celebrating with you next year for the 2027 WDA’s”
A huge thank you to our Feature sponsors, Denplan and Woodlane Dental Equipment, and our Event Sponsors: JCP Solicitors, Lloyds Bank, DermaFocus, Wesleyan and Practice Plan, who helped to ensure a successful awards evening.