Meet Professor Tim Newton – Psychology in Dentistry Expert
Tim Newton is Professor of Psychology as Applied to Dentistry at the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King’s College London.
He also holds Honorary Consultant Health Psychologist positions with Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and the Office of the Chief Dental Officer, and is Honorary Professor of Psychology at University College London.
In 2016, he was awarded the Distinguished Scientist Award in Behavioural, Epidemiological and Health Services Research by the International Association of Dental Research. He is an Honorary Member of the British Orthodontic Society, has delivered the Webb Johnson Lecture at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and served as Otago Community Trust Visiting Professor of Dentistry at the University of Otago. He holds Honorary Fellowships with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and the College of General Dentistry.
Professor Newton is a founding member of the King’s Dental Institute Health Psychology Service, where he devotes around 50% of his time to clinical work. He primarily provides Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to support individuals with dental phobia, helping them manage their fears and navigate complex dental procedures. The wider service offers psychological support for patients experiencing chronic orofacial pain and other long-term oral health conditions.
His research interests focus on theory-based behavioural interventions aimed at improving oral health, particularly the management of dental anxiety and phobia. His work in behaviour change centres on the development, implementation, and evaluation of brief interventions designed to enhance patients’ oral health behaviours in primary dental care settings.
He is strongly committed to upholding the highest standards of scientific conduct, ensuring the protection of research participants and the wider public. In this capacity, he serves as Dean of Research Culture.
Beyond academia and clinical practice, Professor Newton is engaged in charitable work. He is proud to be a Trustee of the Alliance for a Cavity Free Future – a global charity committed to tackling the world’s most prevalent disease, through promoting integrated clinical and public health action to confront the disease burden resulting from untreated caries. He is also President of the Oral Health Foundation, a charity dedicated to improving oral health and wellbeing around the world, and sits on the Board of the Borrow Foundation, which funds the prevention of oral disease with a particular focus on children living in low and middle income countries.