A note from our President…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to 2019 from the British Society of Periodontology - we currently live in interesting and somewhat uncertain times, but this has been the case in one way or another ever since BSP was first formed, in the year that saw the release of such films as The Third Man, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Passport to Pimlico and Whisky Galore! The US Number 1 single in January 1949, 70 years ago, was "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth"... an early request for implant treatment?

It is a real honour to take on the role of President for 2019. I hope that I can carry on the amazing work of my predecessors and work with our incredibly supportive executive team, with Council, and with you all as members of BSP to help serve and support you and to promote and develop periodontology within and more especially outside our profession. 

We are at a special time now with events such as the development of Tier 2 services, the promotion of prevention and focussed care within health services and the current reviews of the future dental workforce presenting opportunities to improve access to care and health for many people. 

We know that periodontal disease is widespread and can have a significant impact on function and quality of life, as well as various other significant and widespread chronic conditions. Unfortunately, this is still not acknowledged as widely as we would like. We need to continue to raise awareness of these issues through as many channels as we can - it is to be hoped that the widespread roll out of the new Periodontal Classification and Implementation, so ably developed and managed by my colleagues within BSP, will act to not only promote the means to manage disease but may allow us to better understand and demonstrate the extent of treatment need that we see. 

We continue as a speciality to work with others to use contemporary and exciting new methods to try to further our understanding of this complex disease, and its identification and management. I hope that we can cover some of these topics in April at our Scientific Meeting. We will address some of the challenges that we also presently face, but will as ever, have some great social events, as only the BSP can!

I hope that you all have a productive, peaceful and enjoyable 2019, and hope to see as many of you as possible at our Conference and Anniversary meetings in Brighton and London later this year.

25 January 2019