Osborne Dental Practice, on Osborne Road,has been recognised by the British Dental Association (BDA) as the 2011 Practice of the Year.

Awarded the title for its commitment to the ‘Good Practice Scheme’, representatives from the dental practice will attend a ceremony in London next month to collect their trophy.

More than 1,600 practices take part in the Good Practice Scheme – intended as a mark of quality for professionals and patients alike – and were all eligible for this year’s award.

The competition involved a rigorous assessment process, including a judge’s visit to the practice and a separate visit to conduct a patient survey.

The panel described Osborne Dental as “a very impressive team with extraordinary leadership which has used the BDA Good Practice Scheme to develop an outstanding patient centred service”.

Susie Sanderson, chair of the BDA Executive Board, said: “To win the accolade of BDA Good Practice Scheme Practice of The Year 2011 is a significant achievement in the face of considerable competition. The north east community must be delighted to have in its midst a dental practice demonstrating its commitment to high quality and customer service.”

The judging panel looked at key areas of the delivery of oral healthcare including demonstration of outstanding patient and community care, a range of treatment options, teamwork, training opportunities for staff and corporate social responsibility.

 Dr Onkar Dhanoya, principal dentist, said: “Every member of our dental team makes a valued contribution to delivering excellent dental care to our patients and this is an award for all of us to share in. The whole dental team is justly proud of their achievements and they deserve their success.”

Osborne Dental expanded last year to provide seven newly refurbished state of the art surgeries, which include a Dental Implant Suite and Osborne Skin – a Facial Aesthetics suite.

The practice is hosting an open evening later this month for dental colleagues, patients and friends, to celebrate its win and showcase its facilities.