The mouth is a mirror of mind and mood. Beyond this it is a gateway to a remarkable microbiome that shapes many of our sensory experiences.

This powerful theme is present through all of the projects that were on display in the Heads up! Shining a light on innovations in oral health exhibition at the Arcade in Bush House.

Launched on Monday 2 December by Professor Mike Curtis, Executive Dean at the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences and Alison Duthie, Director of Programming for Culture & Strand-Aldwych and Acting Co-Director Culture & Science Gallery London, the exhibition aimed to shine a light on innovations in oral health. 

'By interacting and engaging outside of our own disciplines at a time when creative, divergent thinking is valued as much as critical thinking, we see things via reciprocal illumination. This knowledge exchange can often generate new ways of working and sometimes new knowledge itself,' Dr Smyth Zahra adds.

'We have had members of the general public engaging in workshops and conversations which extends our reach and impact. It's been a wonderful culmination of two years of work and has engendered a real sense of belonging and pride across the whole spectrum of members of the faculty.'

The exhibition was the culmination of the Arts in Dentistry Innovation Programme, an experimental arts-based approach that has brought new perspectives and collaborations to the lived experiences of patients and clinicians. Staff, students, alumni and special guests came together for a private viewing of the exhibition on Monday 2 December and heard from Professor Curtis and Alison Duthie on why such collaborations are important.

The Heads up! exhibition ran from 2-13 December at the Arcade in Bush House.  There were a number of workshops and a programme of accompanying events to take part in. 

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