A dental student from Ilkley was named as runner-up in an inaugural dental skills challenge organised by the Britain’s oldest surgical Royal College.

Lloyd Bovensiepen demonstrated his refined ability to drill, suture and build, before being announced as the runner-up of the 500 year-old-plus Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

The grand final took place on March 6 at the College’s Faculty of Dental Surgery. A group of elite dental students from all corners of Britain competed in a series of complex challenges designed to test their abilities.

The tasks evaluated a range of skills such as suturing, building a fractured tooth, matching colour shades of teeth, root canal treatment and even patient communication.

All participants of the groundbreaking competition, which was sponsored by international dental products giant Dentsply, received a year’s affiliation with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, with Hannah Crane being awarded the coveted top prize of an all-expense-paid trip to the Chicago Dental Society’s Midwinter Meeting.

Mr Bovensiepen said: “I feel privileged to be given a chance to compete alongside fellow dental students in what sets out to be a great competition. It’s always very useful to return to the clinical skills lab and practice procedures in a controlled environment.”

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is one of the world’s oldest surgical corporations, boasting 22,000 members across 100 countries.