Dr Onkar Dhanoya FCGDent, a general dental practitioner in Newcastle, has been appointed as the next Chair of the College of General Dentistry’s Trustee Board.
Having graduated from Newcastle University in 1985, Dr Dhanoya has been Principal Dentist and owner of Honour Health, a group of NHS and private dental practices across the North East, since 1986. His clinical interests include implant dentistry, conscious sedation, facial aesthetics and restorative dentistry.
He served as an Honorary Clinical Lecturer in Restorative Dentistry at Newcastle Dental School from 1996 to 2024, and has been extensively involved in postgraduate education throughout his career. He was a Vocational and Foundation Dental Trainer with the Northern Deanery from 1991 to 2005 and from 2009 to 2015, an examiner for the Membership of the Joint Dental Faculties (MJDF) examination of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, a trainer in conscious sedation and a postgraduate lecturer in dental acupuncture. He currently chairs the Advisory Board for Foundation Training in Dentistry.
He holds a Diploma in Conscious Sedation from Newcastle University, a Diploma in Dental Acupuncture, the Diploma in Implant Dentistry of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, a Certificate in Postgraduate Clinical Education from Newcastle University, a Postgraduate Certificate in Dental Practice Management from the University of Chester, and certificates in Facial Aesthetics and Dental Practice Appraisal.
He joined the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) in 1993, achieved Fellowship in 2013 and served as an elected member of the FGDP(UK) National Board from 2014 until its transfer into the College of General Dentistry. During this period he served as Chair of the Professional Affairs Committee, Chair of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Board, and completed two terms as Vice Dean. He also chaired the joint FGDP–CGDent working group which produced the influential guidance, Implications of COVID-19 for the safe management of general dental practice. Following the establishment of the College of General Dentistry, he continued to represent the Yorkshire and Northern region on the College Council and was appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2022.
A Fellow of the International College of Dentists and the Higher Education Academy, he is a member of the Association of Dental Implantology, the Sedation Teachers Group and the North East Private Dentists Group. A longstanding member of the British Dental Association, he is a former President of its Northern Counties Branch, a past member of both the BDA English Council and General Dental Practice Committee, and has served as a BDA Good Practice Scheme Assessor for many years.
He has represented the profession locally and nationally through extensive leadership roles, including Chair of North of Tyne Local Dental Committee since 2014 and Chair of the Northern Regional Council of Local Dental Committees from 2017 to 2020. He served as a Board Member of Dental Protection from 2019 to 2025, acts as an Expert Witness and Clinical Advisor to the General Dental Council, and has contributed to NHS dental contract reform and performance assessment processes. His professional interests include healthcare governance, leadership, professional standards, strategic development and the future application of technology and artificial intelligence within dentistry.
The Board of Trustees is accountable for the proper running of the College and the fulfilment of its legal and regulatory duties, contributing to its custodianship and supporting its historic mission to build a future Royal College for dentistry. In taking up post as Chair of the Board in October 2026, Dr Dhanoya will succeed Dr Mick Horton FCGDent, former Dean of the FGDP, who joined the Board of Trustees in 2017, became Chair in 2023, and will now be stepping down.
During Dr Horton’s tenure at the helm of the College, a partnership to support early careers practitioners has been fostered, free College Subscriber status has been launched to serve the more than 20,000 individuals who have set up online accounts, a Register of Implant Mentors has been established, a Coat of Arms has been granted, an annual College Lecture has been inaugurated, the third edition of Standards in Dentistry has been published, the Certified Practitioner scheme has been developed and Fellowships have been created for each dental team role.
Previously the College was chaired by Janet Clarke MBE FCGDent (2020-23) and Professor Sir Nairn Wilson CBE FCGDent (2017-20).
Commenting on Dr Dhanoya’s appointment, Dr Horton said:
“The College of General Dentistry turns five this year, and the way in which it has evolved and become an organisation that truly represents the whole dental team fills me with pride. I took over from Janet Clarke as Chair of Trustees and my time is now over. It is time to pass on to the next Chair, and I couldn’t have wished for a more suitable successor than Onkar. I have known him both as a colleague and a friend for all his time both on the FGDP board and in his subsequent positions at CGDent, and it is the breadth of his knowledge and his experience of a variety of leadership roles that he will apply to leading the Board of Trustees.”
Dr Dhanoya added:
“It is a privilege to be appointed Chair of the College’s Trustee Board. I am sincerely grateful for the leadership and commitment of my predecessors, Nairn Wilson, Janet Clarke and Mick Horton, whose stewardship has strengthened the College and advanced its standing within the profession. Their contribution provides a strong foundation on which to build. I now look forward to supporting the next phase of the College’s development as it continues to establish itself as the academic home for all dental professionals. This includes progressing our shared ambition towards achieving a Royal Charter and further enhancing the College’s role in supporting excellence in patient care and professional standards.”
The College is now recruiting for a new dental Trustee. Information on the role, which all registered dental professionals are eligible to apply for, can be found via the button below:
