Pictured is Dr. Denis Kerrisk of Limerick who is the Munster Winner in the Sensodyne Sensitive Dentist of the Year 2008 Awards. The awards recognise the high level of care by the dental profession in Ireland.

An outstanding number of nominations were received from patients of dentists who really care – dentists who have gone out of their way to get their patients to establish a regular check up habit and who have made the visit experience so much more bearable for those apprehensive patients. The results of a 2008 MRBI survey conducted by Sensodyne confirmed that 45% of Irish people suffer from nerves, or apprehension at their regular check-up and a further 24% of these said their nerves had resulted in the cancellation of an appointment. These results highlighted how patients need to know and trust their dentist with dental care extending far beyond the clinical side of the profession.

According to Nuala Beecher of GlaxoSmithKline, “The sheer response from patients supporting their local dentist illustrates how important the dental / patient relationship is in Ireland. Patient sensitivity and care by dentists goes a huge way in the prevention of tooth decay. Sensodyne is delighted to acknowledge and support the good work of the dental profession.”

According Paul O’Grady of the Journal of the Irish Dental Association “Across a range of conditions and treatments, patients gave testimony to Dr Denis Kerrisk, the winner for Munster. One father wrote in to speak of the exceptional sensitivity and care shown to his adult daughter who has an intellectual disability and who been been very traumatised by previous medical treatments. Dr Kerrisk succeeded in helping to relax fully in a dentist’s chair and this has had a positive carry-over effect in the doctor’s surgery. Dr Kerrisk went beyond the bounds of normal care to provide a calm and reassuring environment and state-of-mind for a frightened patient and is a worthy winner of the award for Munster.”

Other regional winners included Dr. Rosemary Smith for the Connacht / Ulster region, Dr. Warren Mowlds for the Leinster region and the overall winner was Dr. Niall Sharkey of Midleton.

Sensodyne Protection
Sensodyne offers relief for people with sensitive teeth. Sensodyne has been specially formulated for everyday use to protect teeth and prevent the return of the pain or discomfort of sensitivity.