Orcadians return home to boost access to island dental care at Clyde Munro

Two local dental professionals are marking an important career milestone, qualifying as associate dentists, and choosing to return home to Orkney with Scotland’s leading dental group, Clyde Munro.

Clyde Munro currently cares for more than 500,000 patients across Scotland and operates three practices in Orkney: Daisybank Clinic in Kirkwall, Orkney Dental Kirkwall, and Orkney Dental Stromness.

Aaron Doull, 26, grew up in Holm. Following five years studying for a Dental Surgery (BDS) at Newcastle University, Aaron relocated to Manchester to complete his vocational training year in 2022. However, a move back home to Orkney in July had been on the cards for some time.

Aaron said: “Although I enjoy the city life, I’d toyed with the idea of moving home for a while. While I was studying, I did go home a lot as my parents still live here, as does my brother with his young family, so it’s nice to be able to spend more time with them now that I’ve moved back. Every time I went home to visit, I got such a warm, comforting feeling of being somewhere so familiar.”

With his first month back in Orkney now under his belt, Aaron splits his time between Orkney Dental Kirkwall and the Daisybank Clinic – a return to familiar ground, having completed work experience at Orkney Dental Kirkwall while he was still at school. Over the coming months, Aaron is looking forward to the varied nature of the role and developing his expertise in Clyde Munro’s broad range of dental services across both practices.

Aaron added: “I’ve just completed a restorative diploma in Manchester, focusing on repairing or replacing damaged or missing teeth. I really enjoyed that, though I haven’t set my sights on what to specialise in yet. I’m just looking forward to honing my craft and deciding in the future.”

Also marking a returning home to Orkney is Megan Foubister, from Sandwick. Megan returned home in August 2024 for her vocational training year and will be staying in Orkney as an associate dentist, a role she began in August, which sees her splitting her time between Daisybank Clinic, Orkney Dental Kirkwall and Orkney Dental Stromness.

Reflecting on her vocational training year, Megan said: “It’s been a great year so far, I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s nice to be back somewhere familiar. Everyone has been so friendly, and there are great teams in the practices, so I’ve really appreciated the opportunity to come back – not only for work, but to be able to spend more time with my family and friends, too.”

Megan, who completed a degree in medical sciences at the University of Edinburgh followed by a Bachelor of Dental Surgery at the University of Aberdeen, graduated in 2024. Like Aaron, Megan’s role at Orkney Dental is a return to familiar territory.

“I worked at Orkney Dental as a receptionist for a year in between my degrees, so I knew the team there,” Megan explained. “Once I’d finished in Aberdeen, I was keen to come back. My experience with Clyde Munro has been great. I’ve had a lot of flexibility with my diary, and I feel very supported.”

Aaron and Megan’s appointments as associate dentists form part of Clyde Munro’s ongoing commitment to delivering a consistent high quality of patient care, expanding the group’s clinical and practice teams, and making significant strides to improve patient access in both urban and rural areas, where access to dental care can be more challenging.

As a nod to its commitment to rural areas the Clyde Munro Daisybank Clinic now also features an in-house milling machine, allowing the practice to provide same-day crowns for patients – a revolutionary new service which reduces waiting time for treatment from upwards of two weeks to as little as 30 minutes, while removing the need for patients to travel elsewhere for dental scans and crown fitting.

Jo Hood, Group Head of Clinical Recruitment and Development at Clyde Munro, said: “Welcoming Aaron and Megan home to Orkney as associate dentists is a real boost to the Clyde Munro team. As a group we are committed to improving access to high-quality dental care across Scotland, including navigating the challenges presented by shortages of qualified dentists across the country, an issue more so in rural areas. Aaron and Megan’s appointments will help us ensure that more patients across Orkney can continue to access excellent care and unrivalled services.”