[2][3] Cockcroft was a dentist working in Rugby in general practice for 27 years, during which time he represented dentists locally on the Warwickshire Local Dental Committee (LDC), and nationally, after he was elected to the General Dental Services Committee (GDSC) in 1990.
[5] While Chief Dental Officer for England, Cockcroft launched the "if in doubt, get checked out" Mouth Cancer Awareness Week campaign in November 2006.
[6] In 2015, after leaving the post at the Department of Health, Cockcroft became a non-executive director at UK Corporate dental provider MyDentist (Formally Integrated Dental Holdings),[7] one of the largest providers of NHS and private dentistry in the country.
[8] After Steve Bedser stood down from the role, Cockcroft became interim chair of the British Fluoridation Society having previously been elected to its executive body.
[10] As chair of the society, Cockcroft promotes the public health benefits of water fluoridation and supports dentists in sharing this information with their patients.