Congratulations to team GROINT, winner of the inaugural annual debate held between second year undergraduate dental students at University College Cork.

Various controversial topics were addressed with great skill by the teams, involving all members of the class.

The winning team, made up of Gavin Nugent, Rajan Sobti, Orna Ni Choileain, Ian Mulvey, Niamh Coffey and Thomas Murphy (aka GROINT) opposed the motion that ‘candidates with serious infectious diseases should be accepted into dental education'.

The team leader was Rajan Sobti and the individual winner was Niamh Coffey.

The awards were presented by Professor Finbarr Allen, Dean of the Dental School, and supported by Ard na Laoi Holistic Centre, Brothers of Charity, Lota and Mr Noel Hartigan of JNH Dental Ltd.  

Margaret Keoghan, Ard na Laoi Holistic Centre, Brothers of Charity, Lota, presents a commemorative plaque to Professor Finbarr Allen, Dean of the Cork University Dental School & Hospital

The concept for the annual debate was developed by Dr Sharon Curtin (Behavioural Science), Professor Robert McConnell (Restorative Dentistry) and Dr Noel Ray (Dental Materials Science).

Summarising the event, Prof. McConnell said: ‘These students are all achievers… in that they pushed their comfort zones and in the process acquired new skills that are transferrable to other areas of their undergraduate programme, for example oral examinations, presentations in the fourth year and when formally presenting their seen and unseen cases in the final year.'