The team at the heart of excellent dental care
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 5th May 2024
The delivery of high-quality dentistry today is only possible with input from the entire dental team. Effective collaboration and skill mix utilisation are crucial for the successful delivery of patient care in any situation. This means that all team members must advance their knowledge and skills, using evidence-based products and techniques to support the provision of dental treatment and care.
For those looking to upgrade their materials, systems and oral health solutions, BDIA Dental Showcase afforded the perfect opportunity to see everything in the UK market right now. New products were featured, as were many trusted favourites from decades gone by, allowing the dental team to discover, compare and try various innovations in one place. Professional associations, societies and education providers were also in attendance – including ADAM, BADN, BADT, BSDHT, and more – allowing individuals to find out more about membership and connect with professionals that have the same interests and passions.
Though BDIA Dental Showcase is best known for its extensive dental exhibition, the 2024 event presented a dynamic educational programme of equal calibre. This meant there was plenty to see and do for all members of the dental team, with hours of CPD available for all to enjoy.
The Oral Health Theatre, for example, discussed a broad spectrum of relevant topics from improving patient communication to enhancing periodontal management and considering the global landscape of oral health right now. Among the popular sessions was Dr Mahesh Kumar’s lecture providing an update on mouth cancer. He offered a range of tips on how to conduct a thorough examination, considering the impact that HPV has had and continues to have on mouth cancer rates.
Dr Celia Burns from Nothing But The Tooth, commented:
“This was a really helpful talk that was appropriately pitched for GDPs. It was useful to hear the details of the 2-week wait referral guidelines. Time flew by as the talk had plenty of clinical examples, which were also helpful to illustrate what we are looking for.”
For dental nurses, Laura Hardy discussed career pathways into dental implantology on behalf of the BADN, sharing useful advice on how to take those important next steps. Fiona Sandom, dental therapist and Past President of the BADT, presented on “The Business of Dental Therapy” was also well-received, with dental therapists and dentists learning more about how to effectively integrate the dental therapy role within a busy practice.
Louisa Eyeoyibo, treatment coorindator, said about the session:
“I liked this presentation; there was some excellent information provided in bite-sized chunks that were appropriate for the environment. The use of surgery pictures was helpful and the session will really help with NHS care.”
A later session on mental health and wellbeing proved insightful for all members of the team, as did a presentation by Dr Kunal Shah, principal of LeoDental, on the impact of artificial intelligence in dentistry.
Team members seeking further information and updates in clinical areas such as periodontology, intraoral scanning, patient-centric care and facial aesthetics, had the opportunity to join the Clinical Theatre where more leading speakers covered a wealth of topics. The Dental Update Theatre was equally as popular, with discussions around medico legal issues in periodontology, mouth cancer prevention and sleep dentistry taking centre stage.
The CDO Theatre was another port of call for any team members with an interest in hearing from the Interim Chief Dental Officer England, Dr Jason Wong, and his team. A session dedicated to skill mix in the dental practice proved popular, with all team members represented by speakers. Debbie Reed – Lead for Professional Development Programmes, CHSS University of Kent – presented research into reasons dental nurses may be thinking about leaving the profession, citing pay as a leading factor – although other important considerations were extended sick pay, GDC registration covered and CPD provided. Miranda Steeples – President of the BSDHT – highlighted the opportunities afforded by direct access, while Simone Ruzario – Honorary Treasurer of the BSDHT – shared her personal experience as she began to fully use her scope of practice. Bill Sharpling – Associate Dean (CPD), Faculty of Dental, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King’s College London & Honorary Professor – went on to share a clinical dental technician’s perspective and Amy Howard – orthodontic therapist – explored the benefits of the orthodontic therapist.
A common theme throughout the session was that practice owners, managers and front-of-house staff need to understand team members’ full scope of practice in order to make the most of their skills.
By covering such hot topics, the programme provided plenty of food for thought and certainly stirred conversation. Dental professionals were able to engage with speakers, share their thoughts with colleagues, seek expert guidance from product experts and carry on the discussion beyond lectures.
No matter what role you fulfil within the dental team, be sure not to miss BDIA Dental Showcase 2025. Save the dates today – 14th-15th March!
Save the date
BDIA Dental Showcase 2025
14th-15th March
ExCeL London
