Looking back on a decade of the infection prevention and control award
The Aura Infection Control IPC Team of the Year Award was the brainchild of George Warman Publications, publishers of The Dentist, Dental Nursing and Dental Update. The publisher established what has become a highly prestigious award to recognise the importance of infection prevention within dentistry. It celebrates the pivotal role that dental nurses play in dental infection control, and promotes and motivates team engagement across the sector.
The significance of the award was soon recognised, not just by dental teams wanting to raise standards of infection control within UK practices, but also by leading dental manufacturers within the infection control sector who were keen to support and partner in the award.
An initial partnership was formed between George Warman and Schülke, with winning practices during that time including MF Dental Care, Littleborough in 2015, Church Court Dental Practice, Dumfries in 2016, and Milne, Spencer and Harris Dental, Normanton in 2017.
In 2019 a new partnership was formed with Aura Infection Control and the award became officially known as the Aura Infection Control IPC Team of the Year Award.
By this time the award had gained significant sponsorship from NSK. A global leader in dental handpiece manufacture and decontamination, NSK recognised the opportunity to support the award and develop awareness of its own decontamination options, including autoclaves and automated handpiece reprocessing.
National Sales Manager Mark Beckwith has represented NSK at many of the Award’s events, and he explained NSK’s ongoing association with the Award, “NSK’s involvement with the Aura Infection Prevention Award is a great fit for us. Our product range has something that touches every member of the dental team, so promoting teamwork is something we are very focused on. And as a handpiece manufacturer, we are best placed to take care of the decontamination processes and maintenance of handpieces and instruments and our expanding iClave range of autoclaves is proof of our commitment in this area.”
The Covid pandemic meant the Award was suspended for two years in 2020 and 2021, a time when ironically infection control truly came under the global spotlight. Since resuming in 2023 the award has gone from strength to strength, with dental teams across the UK keen to share examples of best practice in infection control. And with the lure of a first prize that includes a state-of-the-art NSK iClave plus B-type vacuum autoclave, it’s certainly an Award that’s worth entering.
What past winners have to say…
With the upcoming launch of the Aura Infection Control IPC Team of the Year Award 2025 sponsored by NSK, we spoke to some of the previous winning practices to find out what it meant to them to win the award.
2018 winners – Cwmbran Dental Care
“We were thrilled to win what was then the Infection Prevention Control Award, back in 2018. We have always put a lot of effort into making sure we have the correct procedures in place, and winning the award was a really important validation of the whole team’s dedication to maintaining high standards of infection control.
“As we had just replaced our autoclaves prior to winning the award, we asked NSK for an alternative to the top prize of an iClave plus and we were delighted to be given a selection of NSK handpieces and ultrasonics to the same value instead. These have been great!”
Ruth Collis, Principal Dentist, Cwmbran Dental Care, Cwmbran
2022 winners – Cestria Dental Practice
“Winning the Aura Infection Control IPC Team of the Year Award in 2022 was fantastic. It was really motivational for the entire team and proof that we take infection control and patient safety incredibly seriously at Cestria Dental Practice.
“The iClave plus autoclave has allowed us to streamline our decontamination procedures. The large chamber and fast cycles means we can get our reusable equipment sterilised and back out into our surgeries much faster than before, saving us valuable time.”
Natalie Edgar, Practice Manager, Cestria Dental Practice, Durham
2024 winners – BUPA Dental Care Darlington
“Winning the Aura Infection Control IPC Team of the Year Award in 2024 was really motivating for all of us at. Everyone worked so hard on our entry and it was great to see all that hard work being recognised.
“Teamwork is really important and taking part in the award helps with the whole infection control process. Everyone’s in it together!”
Phoebe Kirkbride, Lead Dental Nurse, BUPA Dental Care Darlington
Registration for the Aura Infection Control IPC Team of the Year Award 2025 sponsored by NSK is now open – enter now for your chance to win an NSK iClave plus or iClave 24.
