#349 Doing the Right Thing — Ian Dunn

<p>Ian Dunn didn&#39;t set out to become a periodontist. A chance encounter with a stranger in a hospital corridor, a course he took on a whim, and the absence of anyone else doing the job in Liverpool — that&#39;s how a specialism was born. In this episode, Payman sits down with Ian to trace a career shaped as much by happy accidents as by hard graft; from a comprehensive school kid who retook his A-levels, to one of the most respected perio voices in the north west.</p><p>They cover the state of the profession — social media&#39;s double edge, the case for CPD reform, awards culture, and the strange silence around perio&#39;s role in systemic health. Ian is candid about a GDC case that cost him eleven months of sleep, and equally candid about why he&#39;d never swap his associate chair for a principal&#39;s desk.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>In This Episod</strong>e</p><p>00:01:25 — Growing up in Liverpool</p><p>00:02:10 — Student life at Leeds</p><p>00:05:35 — Route into dentistry</p><p>00:11:50 — Ethics and professionalism</p><p>00:18:50 — Life as a GDP</p><p>00:19:25 — Route into periodontics</p><p>00:29:30 — How perio has changed</p><p>00:41:35 — The mouth-body connection</p><p>00:46:00 — What&#39;s changed in perio</p><p>00:52:55 — Good vs great periodontists</p><p>00:56:35 — Industry, big pharma and public education</p><p>01:00:25 — What grinds your gears</p><p>01:05:00 — Social media, awards and measuring success</p><p>01:15:25 — Teaching and self-promotion</p><p>01:16:30 — Hygienists, teamwork and hierarchy</p><p>01:20:25 — Liverpool</p><p>01:24:15 — Blackbox thinking</p><p>01:27:45 — GDC complaint</p><p>01:39:50 — Associate life and practice ownership</p><p>01:46:05 — Best lectures and resources</p><p>01:53:25 — Fantasy dinner party</p><p>01:56:15 — How Ian wants to be remembered</p><p><br></p><p><strong>About Ian Dunn</strong></p><p>Ian Dunn is a specialist periodontist based at Rose Lane Dental Practice in Liverpool, where he has worked for over 15 years. A graduate of Leeds, he spent a decade as an NHS GDP before finding his way into perio through a combination of luck, timing and relentless curiosity. Alongside his clinical work, Ian teaches on perio courses and has been active with the British Society of Periodontology, where he is a vocal advocate for hygienists, therapists, and anyone who believes the gums are everyone&#39;s business.</p>