Access all areas?
With public dental services under increasing pressure the focus is on providing care to core patient groups
I was humbled and honoured when I was asked to be president of the BDA’s Community Dental Services (CDS) Group by my colleagues on the management committee, writes Graham Smith.
The last Scottish president of the group was the late Jackie Morrison, whom we sadly lost earlier this year. Many will recall attending his presidential conference in 2009, which was held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow. Jackie was fondly remembered with a round of riotous applause after a moving tribute from David Paul.
The presidency changes every year (the exception being during the pandemic) and the incoming president hosts the annual conference and scientific meeting in their home area; my area being Scotland-wide. I became president-designate in 2020. The pandemic ensured that I didn’t take office until 10 October this year, so I’ve had quite a long time to plan the conference!
I wanted to make it a memorable one for delegates and showcase Scotland. Sarah Rockliff, senior local services manager at the BDA, and the wider BDA team were a huge support to me and ensured that the event was planned and executed so professionally.
The conference itself began with a networking event on 9 October. The regional and national divisions met for an informal discussion. This was followed by a social event with food and a quiz at Brewhemia, Edinburgh. The presidential dinner and drinks reception were held at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh on 10 October. Guests were piped into the historic venue in Edinburgh’s New Town, and enjoyed an excellent ceilidh after the dinner.
The main conference was held at Murrayfield Stadium on 10 and 11 October when we welcomed more than 200 delegates to the city. I first visited the stadium nearly 50 years ago, when I stood as a schoolboy on the old open terraces to see Scotland defeat the mighty Wales team of that era. Nowadays, the stadium has changed beyond recognition and we were accommodated very comfortably in the president’s suite. It did amuse me to think we were sharing a venue not only with the legends of Scottish and world rugby but also with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Oasis and Taylor Swift.
The theme of the conference was ‘Access all Areas?’. I chose this to reflect access in the widest sense. Access to dental care is a real issue for the whole population at present, but as Public Dental Services (PDS) come under increased pressure due to lack of General Dental Service (GDS) access, I wanted to highlight our core patient groups and how we provide dental care to them.
I thought we had a really good mix of presentations, which were all relevant to PDS dentists. We had excellent speakers on both days, discussing topics such as delivering dental care to bariatric patients, sedation and general anaesthetic for special care patients, paediatric dentistry, medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw, dentistry for homeless patients and prisoners, and delivering realistic dental care for older patients. We had an excellent overview on access for vulnerable patient groups and about accessing self-care, and how we need to care for ourselves to enable the best standard of care for our patients.
A new feature this year was a panel discussion on careers in the CDS and PDS, and the challenges our services face going forward. As well as the main programme we had our annual poster competitions.
The standard is always excellent, and this year was no exception. There were 11 exhibitor stands present on the day which were well visited by delegates.
We are especially thankful to our main sponsor, Wrights.
One of the huge benefits of having PDS/CDS topics over two full days is being able to meet and chat to colleagues. Some I had known for a long time. Professor Marie-Therese Hosey and Dr Carol Boyle were in my year at the University of Glasgow (1985), so we actually met 44 years ago.
Others I was meeting having only chatted via Teams or Zoom, and of course it was a real pleasure to meet new colleagues from all over the UK for the first time.
I found it interesting to get an idea of what is happening in different parts of the UK, meeting up with like-minded people and realising we are facing similar problems. There was a widespread consensus amongst delegates that the PDS is facing challenges. Recruitment issues were a recurring theme as I spoke to colleagues, particularly to Band A (dental officer) posts, but also to senior and specialist grades. In fact, more than one senior colleague remarked that their service no longer advertises Band A posts, as they know they have little chance to attracting candidates.
It was always the case that the PDS found it harder to recruit to remote, rural and Island posts, but now even posts in urban centres remain unfilled. The PDS faces an additional pressure in that it has an aging workforce. Many PDS dentists are approaching retirement and this, coupled with an increasing struggle to recruit, leaves the service facing a potential crisis in the next few years.
The PDS is valued by its patients. I certainly think that if it did not exist then you would have to invent it. The service has shown its adaptability, no more so than during the pandemic. I’m sure it will continue to evolve and adapt going forward. I only hope that government values it too, and has the vision to develop its potential and allow it to do what it does best; caring for some of the most vulnerable, marginalised and fragile patients in our society.
During my 12 months as president, I plan to promote the work of the CDS group and highlight its value to CDS/PDS dentists, providing an opportunity for CPD which is tailored to a CDS/PDS clinicians and a chance to network and socialise with dentists from across the UK who provide dental care to
a similar mix of patient groups.
Details of the presentations can be found here.