Professor William McLean reflects on his British Endodontic Society (BES) presidential year, and his hopes for the future of the Society and endodontics more broadly:
I’ve been excited to be able to carry on the work of the past presidents, continuing to expand our membership and to deliver opportunities and value to our members. We have continued to develop our Early Career Group which is now a very successful part of our Society. We have also seen the previously released Guide to Good Endodontic Practice be embraced by members and those outside the organisation, with international endodontic societies working in collaboration to develop versions of the guide in their respective languages. It has been valuable to strengthen relationships with those societies (AEDE, AIE, SFE and SPE), and we now have formal agreements in place for reciprocal benefits for our members. This is an exciting chapter in BES history.
Being able to deliver the IFEA World Endodontic Congress (WEC) in the year of my presidency was a great honour. I was excited to showcase what the BES is capable of on the world stage. The IFEA WEC has been the pinnacle of my year as president. The feedback from delegates has been exceptional and we saw incredible engagement from the industry too, marking a significant change in the relationship between trade and profession in recent years. It highlights the future possibilities in terms of delivery of conferences and collaboration going forward.
Looking to the future
I have had a long journey with the BES, having been on council in various roles for a decade, and I hope to continue to support the Society in the years to come. For the next year, I will be the immediate past president, and I hope to continue to play an active role in delivering on the aims of the BES. Last year, I developed and delivered, in collaboration with others, engagement activities to educate the public on important aspects of Endodontics and promote the speciality. This is an area I feel passionate about and I am keen to create similar opportunities to engage the wider public in the future.
The BES has a long history, and is currently in a very strong position, with a Council membership that is passionate about the Society and its role in promoting and educating. I feel very positive about what is possible for the society going forwards. We constantly strive to improve our member benefits, one of which for 2025 will be establishing a webinar platform on our website – a new and exciting development.
The BES has invested heavily in research over past years, and we can see the impact this has had and the opportunity it’s presented to influence the profession. Having a voice for endodontics in the UK is important, especially as clinical practice continues to evolve – the BES is a key advocate for clinicians, teachers and patients alike.
Endodontics is in an exciting phase of evolution, as we see the rise of biologically based interventions. The BES undoubtedly has a role to play in driving and supporting change. Change is never easy, but I think we are up to the challenge, and I predict we will be a key player in moving the profession towards more biologically based practice and supporting the development of all members of the dental team in this change. I am looking forward to all that our incoming president, Phil Tomson, will achieve in this area in the year to come.
As my presidency comes to an end, I would like to make a few special mentions. Our COO, Annabel Thomas, is stepping down after 27 years with the Society. She has been a huge part of the BES’s identity for many years. On a personal note, she is a friend, as she has been a friend to the society and its members, I will be sad to not to have an excuse to constantly call her. I want to thank her for all of her hard work. We will no doubt see her continued support, and I wish her well for the future.
I would also like to welcome Suzanne McLean who will be stepping into Annabel’s role, albeit with a job title change as Operations Director. Although she does have big shoes to fill, I’m sure that she will do a wonderful job.
Finally, thank you to all the individuals and organisations who have supported us in the achievements of the past year and of course our membership who are the life blood of our Society.
For more information about the BES, or to join, please visit the website www.britishendodonticsociety.org.uk or call 07762945847
