A note from our President…

I hope that you have all enjoyed some quality time with friends and family over the summer and managed to take a well-deserved break from the pressures of work. The importance of having downtime and allowing your mind to switch off for a period of time is often underestimated. This year’s Periodical magazine (coming out November) will focus on mental health and wellbeing and will explore some of the ways we can look after our own mental health.

The BSP workshops are now well underway to review the EFP S3 Stage IV Perio Treatment Guidelines, ensuring they are appropriate to share with UK dental professionals (dentists, hygienists, therapists), patients and the public. I took some time to reflect on the success of the previous project, covering the treatment of Stage I-III Perio, and noted that the explanatory video, recorded by Professor West et al, has received 7.6k views. The video was intended to assist members and the wider dental community in interpreting the guidelines and has clearly been an enormous success!

I am also delighted to report that the BSP has worked with GSK to create a lay version of the guidelines for the public and patients, which conveys the importance of gum health in a simplified, informative way. This lay version will allow patients to empower themselves with evidence-based information to both take responsibility for aspects of their disease management and know that they are being offered appropriate, contemporary, evidence-based treatment. The document is currently in its final stages and we will let you know as soon as it is available.

Tamsin and I are putting the final touches to the Conference planning and are looking forward to welcoming you all to Luton Hoo in October. It is wonderful to hear that tickets have been selling fast, with limited availability remaining for the Friday afternoon Workshop. The venue accommodation is also booking up quickly, with the discounted offer ending on 12th September. It will be wonderful to have the presentations, workshops and social events in one place – a fantastic opportunity for us all to catch up with friends and colleagues.