A note from our President…

Happy New Year to all our members and welcome to the first e-newsletter of 2021!

As you will know, this year I am taking on the role of Acting President, on behalf of my dear friend, Dr Nik Pandya. I will endeavour to make him proud as we carry on the amazing work of the BSP, with the incredible support of Council and our Executive Team. Nik was passionate about supporting all general dental professionals in practice and we are keeping this at the forefront of our minds as we plan the 2022 Conference in his honour.

I appreciate that 2020 was an extremely challenging year due to the pandemic, and 2021 continues to be problematic for many within our profession. I am grateful to those members who have renewed their subscriptions and we shall do all we can to continue supporting you this year and promote and develop periodontology and implant dentistry both within and outside our profession.  If there are particular issues, worries or concerns, please let us know.

Like many members, I have been redeployed to help ease the pressure on the NHS. Whilst some colleagues find themselves assisting in intensive care, I have the rewarding job of being part of the NHS vaccination programme. The speed with which the vaccines are being administered is commendable and certainly provides us all with hope, and it’s great to work in a team of dentists, dental and medical nurses, admin staff and the occasional doctor! We are also only too aware of the stresses on some of our practice colleagues and send all our best wishes and support. We have all seen some terrible news and many people are still struggling, but there have also been some positive developments across society which may make things better for all as we hopefully move on during this year and further ahead.

The BSP has an extremely busy year ahead with a lot of strategic objectives and other initiatives planned to help us to continue to support and promote the art and science of periodontology and implant dentistry. In particular, we will soon be publishing the UK version of the S3 Guidelines in the Journal of Dentistry, with open access to all. This will be an extremely important document, as the recommendations provide evidence-based support for specialists, dentists, dental hygienists and dental therapists. 

The paper will be followed by a series of four educational webinars and the release of professional and patient flowchart resources to support our members and the wider dental profession in interpreting the guidelines in a way that is achievable for you in your workplaces. The information about these educational webinars is now displayed on the Events page of our website, so make sure your register to view them. 

Please continue with your fantastic endeavours supporting your patients, peers, colleagues and communities, and please keep in touch with BSP.