Dr Navdeep Kumar details
Telephone:
Location:
- Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals
GMC/GDC number:
67528
Professional background
Over the last 30 years, Dr. Kumar has been committed to special care dentistry (SCD) and has acquired an extensive range of clinical, teaching, and research experience in the area to ensure the delivery of high-quality oral care for people with an impairment or disability. She was appointed as a consultant in special care dentistry (SCD) at UCLH in 2007 and has since been actively expanding the service to build a unit that is known for excellence and commitment to training and development.
Dr. Kumar has considerable expertise in the clinical management of the medically compromised patient and the management of the oral complications of systemic diseases. Furthermore, she has an integral role in training others with an interest in SCD, including those undertaking the certificate, diploma and master's in SCD. She is actively involved in the promotion of SCD and the development of national and international oral care guidelines and protocols, including those focused on patients with cancer, thalassaemia, sickle cell disease, renal disease/transplantation and dementia. Furthermore, she co-authored one of the first textbooks on SCD ('Special Care in Dentistry'), which provides practical guidance on the safe dental management of patients with special needs, and more recently co-edited another textbook ('A Practical Approach to Special Care Dentistry'), which was released in 2022.
This has culminated in her numerous additional roles over the years, including being an examiner for the ORE, MSc and DSCD (UCL and RCS), honorary senior lecturer UCL, Chair of Examiners DSCD (RCS Eng), and to her role as the President of the British Society for Disability and Oral Health (BSDH) in 2009, Chair of the Association of Dental Hospitals (2023-2025), Training Programme Director for SCD (2018-2025). She
In 2020, Dr. Kumar assumed the additional responsibility of Divisional Clinical Director of the Royal National ENT & Eastman Dental Hospitals, completing her term at the end of February 2026. Additionally, she became an Honorary Associate Professor at UCL in January 2022 and is also a Speciality Advisor for the Royal College of Surgeons of England
Qualifications:
BDS, FDS RCS (Eng), PhD, MBA
Specialties
Research interests
Oral care for haematology patients, oral care for patients undergoing cancer therapy for head and neck cancer, and management of patients with complex medical co-morbidities.
Publications
Including articles, book, chapters, clinical guidelines, and computer assisted learning package:
Books
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A practical approach to special Care in Dentistry, edited by , Pedro Diz Dios , Navdeep Kumar, (2022: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. ISBN: 9781119600046)
- Special Care in Dentistry, Scully, Diz Dios and Kumar (December 2006, ISBN: 0443071519, 512 pages, 52 illustrations, publisher: Elsevier)
- Chapter on Bleeding Disorders: Porter SR, Singh N (maiden name). Bleeding Disorders. In: Oral Health Care for Those with HIV Infection and Other Special Needs. Eds: Porter SR, Scully C. Science Reviews 1995 Pp93-109.
- Dental Chapter: Thalassaemia International Federation 2014/2023
- Chapter on Sikhism: Scully C, Wilson N. Culturally Sensitive Oral Healthcare; Quintessence Publishing Co Ltd. Number of pages: 183, Illustrations: 90 Date of publishing: 2006; ISBN: 1850971188
Computer-Assisted Learning Package/Web-based resources
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Porter S, Kumar N, Davies R, Scully C. Special Needs Dentistry - computer-assisted learning CDROM. Department of Health. 2000Kumar N. Oral Care for Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease / Renal Transplantation – EDTNA / ERCA Website Webinar. 2018
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Kumar N. Oral Care for Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease / Renal Transplantation – EDTNA / ERCA Website Webinar. 2018
Clinical Guideline
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Lead of the Guideline Development Group for the following national guideline, produced in collaboration with the RCS (Eng): ‘The oral and dental management of patients before, during and after cancer therapy’; 5th update completed 2025: https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/dental-faculties/fds/publications-guidelines/clinical-guidelines/
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Co-author of the BSDH GA for Special Care Dentistry Professional Consensus Statement
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Faculty of General Dental Practitioners (FGDP). Dementia Friendly Dentistry: Good Practice Guideline. FGDP, 2017.Reviewer: acknowledgement for contribution in the review process
- Dental Chapters in the following guidelines:
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Thalassaemia International Federation Clinical Guideline 2015 and 2021 update: Dental Care Chapter: https://thalassaemia.org.cy/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/GUIDELINE-4th-DIGITAL-BY-PAGE.pdf
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UK Thalassaemia Standards 3rd Edition 2016 and 4th Edition 2023; Dental Chapter: https://ukts.org/3d-flip-book/standards-for-the-clinical-care-of-children-and-adults-living-with-thalassaemia-in-the-uk-4th-edition-2023/
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Standards for the Clinical Care of Adults with Sickle Cell Disease in the UK 2018 – update of 2008 guidance: https://www.sicklecellsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Standards-for-the-Clinical-Care-of-Adults-with-Sickle-Cell-in-the-UK-2018.pdf
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Over 65 published articles, including:
- Christoforou J, Karasneh J, Manfredi M, Dave B, Walker JS, Diz Dios P, Epstein J, Kumar N, Glick M, Lockhart PB, Patton LL. Non-opioid pain management of head and neck chemo/radiation-induced mucositis: A systematic review. Oral Dis. 2019 Jun;25 Suppl 1:182-192.
- Manfredi M, Dave B, Percudani D, Christoforou J, Karasneh J, Diz Dios P, Glick M, Kumar N, Lockhart PB, Patton LL. World workshop on oral medicine VII: Direct anticoagulant agents management for invasive oral procedures: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Oral Dis. 2019 Jun;25 Suppl 1:157-173.
- Cho H, Kumar N. Cold agglutinin disease and its implications for dental treatment. Spec Care Dentist. 2019 Jul;39(4):435-440.
- Cho H, Kumar N. Dental management of a patient with head and neck cancer: a case report. Br Dent J. 2019 Jul;227(1):25-29.
- Patrick A, Saeed K, Kumar N. Multiple myeloma and pulmonary aspergillosis: dental treatment prior to chemotherapy and management of post-extraction complications. BMJ Case Rep. 2020;13(4):e235038. Published 2020 Apr 15. doi:10.1136/bcr-2020-235038.
- Kumar N, Cho H. The Importance of Dental Care. UK Thalassaemia Society Magazine 2020: 133: 34-39.
- D'Amore, S., Kumar, N., & Ramaswami, U. 2021. Jaw involvement in Gaucher disease: a not-so-uncommon feature of a rare disease. BMJ Case Reports CP, 14
- Saeed K, Kumar N. Scleroderma" oral, maxillofacial and radiographic manifestations for dental practitioners. 2024 | British Dental Journal, Vol. 236, No. 11
- Leira Y, Cho H, Marletta D, Orlandi M, Diz P, Kumar N, D'Aiuto F. Complications and treatment errors in periodontal therapy in medically compromised patients. Periodontol 2000. 2023 Jun;92(1):197-219.
- Kumar N, Hattab FN, authors. Porter J, editor. Dental Care. In: Cappellini MD, Farmakis D, Porter J, Taher A, editors. 2021 Guidelines: For the Management of Transfusion Dependent Thalassaemia (TDT) [Internet]. 4th ed. Nicosia (Cyprus): Thalassaemia International Federation; 2023.
- Thakrar P, McLaren E, Ranauta A, Devine M, Kumar N. Our experience of delivering Schwartz Rounds in a dental setting. Br Dent J. 2024 Jul;237(1):25-27.
- Kumar N, Hattab FN. ORAL AND DENTAL CARE. In: Taher AT, Farmakis D, Porter JB, Cappellini MD, Musallam KM, editors. Guidelines for the Management of Transfusion-Dependent β-Thalassaemia (TDT) [Internet]. 5th ed. Nicosia, Cyprus: Thalassaemia International Federation; 2025. Chapter 9.
- Kumar, N. Dental tourism and treatment in dental hospitals. BDJ In Pract 38, 110 (2025).
- Kumar, N. Updated guidelines on the oral and dental management of patients before, during and after cancer therapy. January 2026; Faculty Dental Journal 17(1):7-7.
- Lim GXD, Al Sarraf F, Cho H, Kumar N. Platelet Levels Associated With Bleeding Risk for Dental Interventions: A Systematic Review. Oral Dis. 2026 Jan 29.