After graduating from the University of Manchester in 2016 with her Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), Cianna moved to Cardiff and completed her dental foundation training year in Swansea. Her interest in anxious patients and surgery led her to take a post for a year as a dental core trainee in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery department of Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfill, and in the Community Dental Service at St David’s Hospital in Cardiff. In this time, she completed her MFDS examination with the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh). Cianna then worked as a general dental practitioner in Barry for 2 years providing NHS and private dental treatment to her patients. During this time, she nurtured a keen interest in the management of periodontal disease and provision of an aesthetic and functional dentition to patients whose aesthetics, function and confidence were compromised by periodontitis. Exploration into further education in this field led to an externship in the Department of Periodontology at the University of Minnesota in May 2019.
In 2020, Cianna enrolled onto a three- year clinical doctorate in periodontology (D.CH.DENT. Periodontology) at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. This programme encompassed clinical and academic training in the management of periodontitis, periodontal regenerative surgery, mucogingival surgery, implant surgery (including lateral wall sinus elevation procedures), and conscious sedation. Cianna completed in vitro research on the assessment of implant stability with the Periotest™ device as part of her doctorate. Over the course of the programme, Cianna was able to develop her interest in teaching and participated in the clinical and academic training of undergraduate dental and dental hygiene students, which included weekly clinical tutoring sessions over the latter two years. With her colleagues, three reports were published in the JCP Digest between 2021-2023.
Now based in South Wales, Cianna is registered with both the General Dental Council (UK) and the Irish Dental Council. She is a keen member of the Irish Society of Periodontology and European Federation of Periodontology and follows the conference schedule with interest to stay up to date with new clinical techniques and research findings. She lectures in the field of periodontology and implant dentistry and hopes to develop her teaching career further in years to come.
In her free time, Cianna enjoys trips home to the West of Ireland to visit family and friends, sailing, and skiing. She is an avid supporter of Irish rugby and an enthusiastic traveller, particularly enjoying long walks by the sea and visiting new places.
