For dental professionals looking to invest in their technology, develop their skills and advance their career prospects, BDIA Dental Showcase provides valuable opportunities to do all this and more.
Thank you to BDIA president, Gail Vernon, for officially opening the event on Friday, and many thanks to the amazing sponsors, trade partners and exhibitors who contributed to this year’s event!
The dental exhibition hosted hundreds of dental manufacturers, suppliers and training providers, enabling visitors to have important conversations with the relevant product and education experts about their current and future practises. There were new products to discover, innovative technologies to consider and on-stand demonstrations to facilitate clinical and business decision-making. Even the DeLorean time machine from Back to the Future made an appearance, supporting the BDA’s campaign to save NHS dentistry and encourage the government to make urgent and crucial changes for the future.
This was combined with a dynamic programme of lectures, debates and hands-on workshops, helping individuals to further their competence and confidence in both clinical and business topics.
As a brand-new feature for 2024, the Clinical Excellence Workshops proved especially popular. Completely sold-out prior to the event, these sessions afforded practical instruction and allowed dentists to learn new skills with evidence-based materials and products. Thank you to all the industry sponsors who supported these fantastic workshops – NSK (Official Handpiece Partner), Evident (Official Loupes Partner), Septodont, J&S Davis, SDI, Coltene, Crown Dental Burs and Henry Schein.
Also new for 2024 was the ADI Implantology Theatre, hosted by the Association of Dental Implantology. A diverse range of speakers discussed a myriad of topics relating to dental implants, offering insightful guidance to help dental professionals improve their own clinical practises. The BACD Aesthetic Theatre was just as popular, with renowned BACD members showing what it takes to deliver high-quality, ethical cosmetic dentistry in today’s dental world.
The CDO Theatre was another busy location, with dental professionals keen to hear from interim chief dental officer for England, Jason Wong, and his team throughout the two days. Many sessions offered different perspectives and insights on key topics, covering everything from primary care research in general practice to utilising skill mix, improving patient safety and so much more.
An invite-only Dental Organisation Roundtable also gave individuals a chance to share their own concerns, questions and thoughts on the current status of dentistry in England. Takeaways included the need for governmental departments to work better together and with up-to-date information, as well as a continued spotlight on involving the whole dental team.
Helen Paisley from Community Dental Services CIC said, “The programme of talks in the CDO Theatre has been excellent. I have attended the event over both days and found the stands to be excellent too, with brilliant networking!”
In the Clinical Theatre, one of the biggest draws was the debate about amalgam and whether a ban is actually the best thing for public health, for dentistry and for the planet. Jason Wong shared his position that more research on the environmental impact of amalgam is needed before he can fully get behind amalgam being phased out completely. Chris McConnell offered a clinical perspective by outlining composite as a viable alternative to amalgam in practice. He suggested that avoiding amalgam is as much about tooth preservation as it is about environmental factors.
Ian Mills from Torrington Dental Practice commented, “I enjoyed the session and found it informative. The two speakers complemented each other, covering both political and clinical areas.”
Additional content in the Dental Update Theatre and Oral Health Theatre ensured a well-rounded learning experience for all dental professionals in attendance. Sessions explored a diverse range of subjects from the impact of artificial intelligence on dentistry now and in the future, mental health and wellbeing of the dental team, preventing medico-legal issues, minimally invasive intervention and so much more.
Mahesh Kumar’s lecture providing an update on mouth cancer was particularly well-received, sharing tips on how to conduct a thorough examination. He also considered the impact that HPV has had and continues to have on mouth cancer rates, highlighting the importance of early detection and risk management.
Celia Burns from Nothing But The Tooth, said, “This was a really helpful talk that was appropriately pitched for GDPs. It was useful to hear the details of the two-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.”
Ensuring a comprehensive programme, the Business Theatre offered sessions dedicated to matters that impact the running of dental practices today. From decontamination processes to handling complaints, improving patient communication, managing tax and a Business Confidence panel made up of leading professional services experts and business consultants, there was something for everyone.
That was very much the sentiment of the entire event. Regardless of whether visitors were practice owners, associate dentists, dental hygienists/therapists, dental nurses or practice managers, and no matter how much experience they had in dentistry, there were products to discover, skills to learn and colleagues to connect with. Don't miss the 2025 event – get the dates in your diary today!