News

I am delighted to introduce myself as the Chair of the Dental Practitioners Section of the British Society of Periodontology (BSP) which has by far the largest number of members. I was elected to this prestigious and important post in 2014 and since then have represented the interests of hard working General Dental Practitioners at the British Society of Periodontology.

Sent on behalf of Sandra White National Lead for Dental Public Health, Public Health England The British Society of Periodontology were closely involved in developing the guidance of the 3rd edition, originally published in 2014 Revisions to Delivering Better Oral Health have now been published on: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-better-oral-health-an-evidence-based-toolkit-for-prevention In response to recent revised guidance 2 sections of Delivering Better Oral Health (DBOH) version 3 have been updated: • Section 4 Healthier eating advice and relevant summary tables: to reflect the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) Carbohydrates and Health report (2015) • Section 8 Alcohol misuse and oral health and relevant summary table: to include The Chief Medical Officer for England guidelines on lower risk drinking. This is further supported by an online training module for anyone wanting the knowledge and skills to deliver very brief alcohol consumption advice: https://www.alcohollearningcentre.org.uk/eLearning/IBA/ In addition, 2 NEW DBOH factsheets have been published which summarise the key actions for oral health improvement for adults and children. DBOH is a key source of evidence based advice for dental teams and wider professional groups.

It is with sadness that we announce the death of Professor Crispian Scully, Emeritus Professor Of Oral Medicine of UCL and past Dean and Director of Research and Studies (1993-2008) of Eastman Dental Institute.

The Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) has published an outline of its plans for 2017-18. FGDP(UK)’s outline plans for 2017-18 are also accessible online (see below) FGDP(UK) Dean, Dr Mick Horton, said: “This year marks our 25th anniversary as the academic home for primary dental care, and our plans for the coming year will significantly strengthen our community of practice. We look forward to working ever more closely with our members and the wider dental community, and would be delighted to have your support as we prepare to bring an independent national professional body for dentists to life.”

In a 'showcase' article, the BSP made the news in a more unusual publication this week - PR News.

Dr Phil Ower hands over to Professor Ian Needleman as President for 2017. The presidential year now runs from January to December, in line with the membership year and the Society's financial year. Professor Needleman was voted in as President at the AGM held in Oxford in April 2016. It is all change on Council with the following people taking up their membership of Council on 01 January: Dr Penny Hodge - President Elect 2018, Dr Mark Ide - President Elect 2019, Dr Trevor Watts - Senior Vice President, Dr Richard Tucker - Honorary Editor, Dr Praveen Sharma - President of the Early Career Group, Dr Aradhne Tugnait - Other Member of Council Thanks were given at the meeting held in December to all those standing down for their valuable contribution to the work of Council.

Our congratulations go to Professor Peter Heasman, ex-BSP President and Professor of Periodontology at Newcastle University. He has being awarded the British Empire Medal in the New Year’s Honours list for his services to research ethics. NHS Research Ethics Committees safeguard the rights, safety, dignity and wellbeing of patients and volunteers taking part in medical research. They review applications for research and give an opinion about the proposed participant involvement and whether the research is ethical. Professor Heasman said: “To say that this honour was a surprise is something of an understatement. It is an immense honour to receive such recognition. But the real appreciation goes to all those colleagues that I have worked with so closely over the last 20 years: REC members and managers, colleagues, trainers and all those at the HRA. It really has been an absolute privilege. “The ethics service (and indeed all clinical research in the UK) would not prevail without those who volunteer their ‘ethics’ time in abundance. None of us can call it our ‘day job’ yet we become involved possibly out of curiosity but also because we want to contribute to the safety of UK research, and upholding the dignity and rights of research participants. We do this neither for reward nor recognition, but when something like this comes along it makes one feel incredibly proud.”

As new statistics reveal a fall in prescribing of antibiotics by clinicians across all NHS healthcare settings, dentists’ leaders have called on colleagues to build on this success by using a new toolkit to support effective antimicrobial stewardship.

We are delighted that the Good Practitioner Guide, produced by the BSP earlier this year, is to be translated by the Norwegian Society for its members. "We are delighted that you will allow us to translate the GPG. There has been a lack of this kind of guide in Norway. The board of the NPF have discussed for some time to make a guide like this when we became aware of your excellent guide." Kristen Kolltveit, Norwegian Society of Periodontology "The GPG continues to create impact and we are excited that the Norwegian Society of Periodontology will translate the guide. This follows versions from both the Austrian and Spanish Societies of Periodontology" Ian Needleman, Editor-in-chief, GPG