CDO or New Denplan HDO: Who Influences More?
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- Published: Monday, 04 August 2025 10:55
- Written by Peter Ingle
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What is the difference between a Chief Dental Officer and a Head Dental Officer?
This is not posed as a dental trivia quiz question, but a reflection of the changing UK dental scene.
Jason Wong MBE is the Chief Dental Officer for England. As a Civil Servant employed by NHS England and answerable to the Department of Health and Social Care he is seen by many as a conduit between the Department and the clinicians who deliver dental care to the public.
Unlike his immediate predecessors he has a GDP background. Jason remains a practicing general dental practitioner and partner at the Maltings Dental Practice in Grantham, where he has particular clinical interests in oral surgery and anxiety management of patients, and has previously worked as a clinical lecturer in those areas. As CDO England he has often focussed on DHSC ‘hot topics’ including skill mix, health inequalities and sustainability.
His writ as CDO extends beyond those delivering care under the NHS, as demonstrated during the pandemic. Despite this the increasing numbers of GDPs outside or increasingly detached from NHS dentistry, may see much of the CDO’s output as irrelevant to both their practices and patients.
While Jason Wong waits for the consultation on changes to the NHS dental contract to reach its conclusion, Denplan have announced that their new Head Dental Officer will be Dr Matthew Nolan (pictured). He follows on from previous HDOs including Roger Matthews, and the late Louis Mackenzie, who were also GDPs and well known beyond their association with the plan provider.
Dr. Nolan is Principal Dentist at Merivale Dental Practice and has been a practising Denplan dentist for over 25 years, as well as a Denplan Practice Advisor for the Southeast since 2020. As Head Dental Officer, Matthew will play a pivotal role in supporting and advocating for Denplan’s network of dentists, championing clinical excellence, and delivering Denplan’s strategic vision for a sustainable future for dentistry.
Graduating from Bristol University in 1999, he gained his Master’s degree in Advanced General Dental Practice in 2016 from the University of Birmingham, and was admitted as a Fellow of the College of General Dentistry in 2023. He is also an Honorary Clinical Lecturer at King’s College London, where he has contributed to research exploring the link between psychology and oral health and has been published in risk communication and prevention.
As a passionate advocate for the profession Matthew will continue to practice part time, ensuring his continued insight into the day-to-day realities and needs of dental practices, teams and patients.
Paul Schreier, Chief Executive Officer at Simplyhealth and Denplan, said: “As a key voice of our Denplan members, Matthew will play an important role in driving our work to secure a sustainable future for dentistry and improve access to healthcare for all in the UK.”
Matthew Nolan said of his appointment: “I’m excited to be joining Denplan as Head Dental Officer. Having been involved with Denplan throughout my career, I’ve seen first-hand the many ways in which the company supports dentists and dental professionals. I’m joining Denplan at a critical time for the dental industry. There are increasing national challenges to dental access, and a corresponding increase in Parliamentary interest in oral health policy, making it all the more important for Denplan to advocate for its members. I’m looking forward to taking on that challenge with my colleagues.”
There is a background of decreasing numbers of dentists delivering NHS care and a gradual shift towards private work where plans figure strongly, Denplan alone now having over 6,600 members. Against this it might be time to ask which of the two dental officers has the most influence over the day to day dentistry delivered by GDPs.
What may surprise both NHS and private diehards is that they appear to share many of the same interests, and ambitions for the profession.
CDO or New Denplan HDO: Who Influences More?
Well in truth, it may be a bit of a moot point.On the one hand you have Jason Wong who is employed by the NHS and answerable to the Department of Health and Social Care. He is however a wet fingered dentist in an independant practice that provides some NHS to children and he is the CQC registered manager at that practice.
On the other hand you have Matthew Nolan who is also a wet fingered dentist working in a fully private practice which is operated by Portman/Dentex group.
He is not CQC registered nominated individual or registered manager.
So I'm not quite sure who is best placed to represent dentists in the changing scene, you tell me?
Maybe depends on your point of view, are you a practice owner or an associate, are you all NHS or mixed or 100% private or perhaps not in practice as a clinician?
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