David Birnie graduated from Edinburgh Dental School in 1970 and spent three years as a lecturer in periodontology before starting his orthodontic training in 1975. Later that year he was appointed registrar in orthodontics at Kingston Hospital, Surrey and at the Royal Dental Hospital, London. In 1977, he moved to the Eastman Dental Hospital as a senior registrar in orthodontics. Since 1982, he has been a consultant orthodontist at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, is a visiting consultant and senior clinical lecturer in orthodontics at the University of Bristol Dental School and is in private orthodontic practice.
Clinical interests include:
-clinical applications of computers and health informatics
-pre-adjusted edgewise appliances
-self-ligating brackets
-clinical application of biomaterials research
-the non-surgical management of severe malocclusion
-orthognathic surgery
David has lectured extensively throughout the United Kingdom including invited presentations at the British Orthodontic Conference, the Consultant Orthodontists Group Symposium, the British Dental Association’s Annual and Scientific Meeting in addition to presenting lectures and papers in Cyprus, China, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa and in the USA. Since 2004, David has given courses on passive self-ligation, and fully customised orthodontic appliances, in Australia (Brisbane and Perth), Croatia, Denmark, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. David has also given workshops at the International Damon Symposia held in Monaco (2005, 2006), Barcelona (2007), Rome (2008) and London (2009, 2010). In 2011, he will speak at the 10th Annual Damon Forum in Orlando, Florida.
With Nigel Harradine, David has co-presented Excellence in Orthodontics in the United Kingdom since the first course in 1987 in York and at Excellence in Orthodontics overseas courses in Australia, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Norway, Republic of Ireland, Switzerland and The Netherlands.
David is on the Council of the Faculty of Dental Surgery and is Chair of the Faculty of Health Informatics at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh where he is also a member of the Specialist Advisory Board in Orthodontics, Dental Examinations Committee and was an ex officio member of College Council. David passed the Diploma in Medical Informatics of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2001, a part-time two year course on health informatics delivered over the internet. David represented the College on General Dental Council from 1998-2003 during which time he was a member of the Central Examining Board for Dental Hygienists, the Dental Auxiliaries Committee, the Health Committee, the Professional Conduct Committee, the PCD Curricula Overview Group, the Orthodontic Therapists Curriculum Working Group, the Registration Subcommittee of the Education Committee and the Registration Review Group. David is a past chairman of the Specialist Advisory Committee in Orthodontics and Paediatric Dentistry. At Queen Alexandra Hospital, David was Clinical Director for Surgery, Trauma and Oncology from 1994 to 1999 and is currently Associate Medical Director for Queen Alexandra Hospital’s £200 million Redevelopment Project funded through the government’s Private Finance Initiative programme which opened in June 2009 and chairs the Trust’s Change Management Team which applies lean principles to healthcare.
