News

Welcome to autumn! We have started work on updating BSP publications, including the 4th Edition of the Good Practitioners’ Guide. We hope to also create an updated online version of this document. In the meantime, if you haven’t seen it, or any of the other current BSP Publications, visit the Professionals - Publications page of the website:

Imagine being able to contribute to the community beyond your practice. Imagine being able to contribute to the most vulnerable members of society, children. Imagine being perceived as a socially conscious dental practice, and also being connected with other like-minded clinicians.

1. What is your position in the BSP and what does this role involve? I am a member of Council and represent the BSP on the Specialty Advisory Committee for Restorative Dentistry. The SAC committees are intercollegiate bodies which advise on higher specialist training in the dental specialties and this committee advises on the specialties of Periodontics, Endodontics and Prosthodontics with Restorative Dentistry. We meet twice a year at the Royal College of Surgeons in London with an agenda packed with acronyms…. a steep learning curve to work out who and what was being discussed! I then bring what is discussed back to Council for their information, consideration and comment. Other work undertaken by the SACs is to review and update specialist training curricula, quality assure specialist training programmes in the UK, and review applications to the GDC specialist lists.

We have received a message from the Office of the Chief Dental Officer regarding Population Health Fellowships. Please see below for full details.

As you can see from all the items below, things have been busy over the last few weeks and I thank BSP Council members, including Paula and Tamsin, for their hard work. Bookings are now open for next year’s Conference, as well as for the very relevant September webinar, given by our 2021 President. Council are currently finalising our reply to the current Health and Social Care Committee Inquiry, for which the deadline is approaching.

We are delighted to announce that bookings are now open for the BSP Conference 2020.

We have been advised that The Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP) has announced the launch of its second app, the SDCEP Dental Companion.

We continually work closely with a number of professionals and organisations to promote a better understanding of periodontitis, its impact on patients and links with systemic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

We wish to bring to your attention that The Office of Chief Dental Officer, and NHS England & NHS Improvement National Diabetes Prevention Programme have produced the commissioning standard: Dental Care for People with Diabetes. This Commissioning Standard will support the local implementation of pathways for patients to enable the benefits of timely and effective periodontal management on oral health and importantly general health to be realised. It recognises that people with type 2 and type 1 diabetes need to access effective dental care and that care pathways should be developed to support this. This will require local engagement between providers and commissioners of dental services and diabetes services, and the commissioning of dental services with the appropriate skills and competences to deliver the care required.