This year he had a breakthrough of a very personal kind: the Scottish Health Awards included dentistry as a category for the first time - and he was the winner. He was recognised for his outstanding contribution to healthcare through his work at the University of Glasgow Dental Hospital.
The awards are run by the Daily Record with the support of NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government. Professor Welbury was nominated by a colleague in primary care.
The citation mentioned four aspects of his work:
- The introduction of a low level laser for the treatment of mucositis in children undergoing chemotherapy.
- The use of The Wand for pain free injections, helping to reduce the number of anxious children requiring a general anaesthetic for dental treatment.
- The development of more outreach paediatric clinics for training undergraduate dental students, thereby improving their diagnostic and treatment experience in children.
- Raising awareness of the importance of the dental team in child protection and child safeguarding.
At a ceremony hosted by comedian and presenter Fred MacAulay in the Corn Exchange in Edinburgh, Professor Welbury was presented with his award by Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport, Shona Robison.
Professor Welbury said after the event, “I am really chuffed. I don’t enjoy being in the limelight but anything that raises the value of the dental team in the public eye has to be positive.”
Dually qualified in medicine and dentistry, he has been a prominent member of the BSPD for many years. He started lecturing on the topic of child protection to dental audiences in 1989, advocating a role for the dental team in child protection.
In 2015 Professor Welbury was the chairman of the Congress of the International Association of Paediatric Dentistry, held in Glasgow. He has just retired as Professor of Paediatric Dentistry at the University of Glasgow Dental School and been appointed to a part time role at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN).
Robin Mills, president of the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry congratulated Professor Welbury on his award and Jenny Harris, who led the development of the document Child Protection and the Dental Team, said that Professor Welbury had been an inspiration.