Congratulations to all dental professionals recognised in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours List. Their exceptional contributions to oral health and to their communities were acknowledged in this year’s honours. This year, there were two ADA NSW members from NSW/ACT recognised including Dr Lanny Chor and Dr Peter Hill.
Dr Lanny Chor, Public Service Medal (PSM)
For outstanding public service to oral health service delivery in NSW.
Dr Lanny Chor is the Clinical Director, Oral Health, at the Hunter New England Local Health District. His career in public oral health has spanned over 30 years, including ten years as Chief Dentist of NSW Health. Dr Chor’s career has been distinguished by clinical excellence, innovation and commitment to patients. His leadership has transformed the accessibility of public dental services across NSW.
As Chief Dentist, Dr Chor co-led the delivery and implementation of the Oral Health Access Policy, a significant reform to the process for triaging patients. This work expanded services in rural and regional areas, enhanced patient experience, safety, quality and operational efficiency. He has also been instrumental in driving innovation through leading the first electronic oral health record in Australia. This work set a national benchmark and led to the integration of oral health into the NSW Health Single Digital Patient Record.
During COVID-19, when the nature of dental care posed unique infection control challenges, Dr Chor provided calm, informed and highly collaborative leadership. Working with professional bodies, regulators and Local Health Districts, he guided both public and private dental services to continue providing care safely. His work ensured no COVID-19 transmission occurred in any NSW public dental clinics, while maintaining access for patients in need.
A defining feature of Dr Chor’s career has been his commitment to equity in oral health. He initiated the highly successful partnership between Hunter New England Local Health District and Awabakal Aboriginal Medical Service, creating culturally safe pathways to care that have improved oral health outcomes for Aboriginal patients.
He also established innovative outreach models such as ResiDental, which delivers care directly into residential aged care facilities. The impact of Dr Chor’s work on the community is profound, enduring and far reaching. His leadership, integrity and service have transformed the delivery of oral health care in NSW. In receiving this recognition, Dr Lanny Chor said it had been very much a team effort.
“Many things are not a solo effort,” Dr Chor said. “It’s about working together with people and partnerships to achieve outcomes. I’ve worked in places where the culture is great and people are supported so the work journey has been enjoyable. Public sector employment is a great way to develop clinical and patient rapport skills as a start to their career. It’s also a great career path for experienced practitioners who can pass on their knowledge to new graduates.”
Dr Peter Hill
For service to dentistry.
Dr Peter Hill was born in Worcestershire in the UK and trained in London at The University College Hospital and Royal College of Surgeons. He arrived to live permanently in Australia in 1980 after a two-year stint as Provincial Dental Officer in Papua New Guinea. This involved travelling and providing dental care throughout the Papua region.
In a distinguished career, Dr Hill worked for the Aboriginal Medical Service in Redfern establishing a mobile dental unit to provide dental care to many rural and remote Aboriginal communities in NSW. He moved to the North Coast of NSW where he became Principal Dental Officer for NSW Health based in Lismore and responsible for school and hospital dental services from Tweed Heads to Taree.
After a return to the UK for a year, he became Dental Director for Justice Health responsible for providing dental services throughout 30-plus centres across NSW. Dr Hill was appointed as Chief Dental Officer for NSW Health which was a position held for three years over three stints. This involved high level policy and planning and coordination of dental services with the health areas. During this time, he worked closely with ADA NSW to improve dental services for rural/remote, disadvantaged and Aboriginal communities. He retired for the first time to focus on providing dental services to remote communities in NSW and the Northern Territory. Through the Remote Area Health Corp, he was employed to service many remote communities in the Northern Territory.
Also through the NSW Health Clinical Rural Locum Program, he provided dental services to many rural and remote settings through hospital dental clinics or Aboriginal Medical Service Dental clinics. Some of his last clinical roles have been supervising final year dental students and upgrading dental therapists in Broken Hill through the University of Sydney and Melbourne. After more than 50 years as a practicing dentist, he retired last year and now lives in Moss Vale.
“I like to think that my OAM will encourage all those dental professionals working in the public setting, especially those that work in rural and remote areas throughout Australia,” Dr Hill said of the recognition. “Now I have fully retired I can look back on the many communities I have helped. It wasn’t easy after 50 years to give dentistry away.”
“However I’m glad I did it on my terms when I felt the time was right. My daughter had often said “why do you go on working?” my reply had always been “because I still feel I have something to give. New South Wales should be very proud that by introducing and retaining preventive strategies, namely water fluoridation and oral hygiene/health promotion measures, that dental caries has almost become a thing of the past. ADA NSW Branch has been at the forefront in promoting these measures.”
Congratulations to Dr Chor and Dr Hill on being recognised in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours list.