Labour’s defeat in Scotland was labelled “a disaster”, with the SNP’s victory described as “earth shattering” and “ground breaking”; the party’s former leader boasted that the “tectonic plates had shifted” in Scottish politics. It was that last phrase that particularly struck a chord as just a week or so earlier there had been a literal movement of tectonic plates and over 8,000 people in Nepal lay dead – perhaps that puts into context how disastrous or ground-breaking the UK election result really was.
Election Day coincided with the start of the British Dental Conference in Manchester (Meredyth Bell’s report of the event is featured on page 52); there was a defi nite buzz around the exhibition hall on the Friday morning as people discussed the result and what the impact might be for the dental trade and profession. Whilst the usual suspects of the trade were present at the event the exhibition was quite clearly, and quite rightly, a secondary consideration; the main focus was the conference programme. Delegates were able to attend good quality lectures and presentations on subjects that really matter.
Importance
In his presentation Raj Majithia spoke of the importance of an exit strategy. No, he wasn’t referencing selling a practice or moving your career on (we do have an article on that subject on page 30 of this issue) it was actually in the far more important context of medical emergencies. What your staff know what to do if an ambulance needed to be called for a patient? Would paramedics be able to fi nd the practice, would they be able to easily move a patient through the building if he needed to be taken to hospital? As always it is better to plan these things in advance than fi nd out during an emergency – it could literally be the difference between life and death. Raj’s experience in practice meant he had practical tips to give, and his authority as a speaker ensured that everyone in attendance understood the message.
Perspective
At the start of the conference the outgoing president Alasdair Miller spoke about the problem of engaging with younger members of the profession. To help with this the BDA organised a panel meeting where a slightly incongruous looking Mick Armstrong, the chair of the BDA Principal Executive Committee, sat with the fresh faced members of the Young Dentist Committee in an informal Q&A session. The aim was to try and address the concerns of young dentists graduating today. Ursala Jogezai was on the panel and discusses the meeting on page 76.
It was reassuring to hear the gasp of exasperation when one dentist mentioned they had been asked to call their patients “customers”, though that has to be tempered by the fact a number of questions were just concerning pay. The mood generally was a positive one though, and the message was stressed time and again what a good profession dentistry is – yes the role has changed and the demands and expectations have altered over the last 20 years, but there are still plenty of reasons for young dentists to be happy.
Offended
Happiness is probably the wrong word to use when describing the atmosphere in Val McMunn’s presentation, but there was a great deal of laughter. The title of the sexual health nurse’s talk was ‘Well why worry… you don’t get pregnant with oral sex’. There were worrying statistics, shocking anecdotes, gruesome pictures and even a song. Unsurprisingly the lecture hall was crammed for this one but Val explained that though the presentation style was lighthearted, the subject was a very serious one. So what did we learn? The symptoms of STIs in and around the mouth, the importance of communication with patients, and that I was wrong – I am sensitive… I’m still having nightmares about some of those pictures!
Overall the conference was a great success so the BDA deserves credit. It was a well put together event that offered real value to delegates. After the negativity around the profession at the end of last year, it is good to be able to focus on some positives, and concentrate on the things that really matter.