And the award goes to…

Every year the prestigious Dental Awards take place to celebrate the unwavering commitment and achievements of individuals, teams and companies within the dental profession.

At this year’s event, which was well attended by some of the profession’s leading lights, Dental Elite had the pleasure of sponsoring two Awards: Practice Manager of the Year and Dental Practice of the Year South. The Awards were presented by Recruitment Manager, Luke Arnold.

As always, the level of talent of the nominees was exceptionally high, which for winners Hannah Haines, Practice Manager of Inspired Dental and Reginald O’Neill Dental Care (Practice of the Year for the South) made victory even sweeter. The team is proud to have been part of such a distinguished occasion.

Dental Elite would also like to congratulate Edd Jones from Hartley Dental Practice and The Care Dental Centre in London for coming highly commended in their respective categories.

Dedicated to supporting the profession wherever it can, Dental Elite is thrilled to have been involved with the Dental Awards 2017 – here’s to doing it all again next year!

For more information contact Dental Elite. Visit www.dentalelite.co.uk, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 01788 545 900

Following the success of the 2015 Bursary Awards, the Association of Dental Groups (ADG) would like to announce that application for the 2016 Postgraduate Bursary Award is now open.

Dental professionals interested in entering the Postgraduate Award should submit their project, focusing on either improving access for disadvantaged people or building awareness of oral cancer and the need for early diagnosis.

The proposed project must be implemented during 2015-16 and the winning applicant will receive £5,000, made up of £2,500 for the dentist and a further £2,500 to be used in support of the delivery of the project.

The winners of the 2015 ADG Postgraduate Bursary Award were Orna Ni Choileain and Niall McGoldrick for their project ­­­­­­­­Let’s Talk About Mouth Cancer.

On winning the Bursary, Orna said: “When I found out we won the Bursary, I had the perfect mixture of shock and excitement. It feels like a great achievement to have our work setting up the 'Let's Talk About Mouth Cancer’ charity recognised by other professionals on a national level. It's a sign of confidence for us and the wider team that all the work we have been doing over the last year has been worthwhile.”

For more information about the ADG visit www.dentalgroups.co.uk

While innovation and technological advancements will continue to play a key role in the development of dentistry, nurturing the future generation of dental professionals is equally as crucial.
 

As the Association of Dental Groups (ADG) understands the positive impact ingenuity and proactivity can have on a practice and on the profession, it is pleased to be welcoming back the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Bursary Awards in 2016. The ceremony will be held on the 18^th March at The Library at the Royal College of Surgeons.                                

With applications open until December 31^st 2015, there is still time for budding undergraduate students – including dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists and clinical dental technicians – to enter their chosen category.

Covering the competencies of ethics, professionalism, scope of practice and communication, the ‘Skill mix in dentistry’ category focuses on ideas relating to teamwork and the use of skills in the dental setting. Alternatively, applicants can choose to enter the ‘Professionalism’ group. All they need to do is describe a time and situation in which professionalism and ethicality have been demonstrated for a chance to win.

With gold, silver and bronze bursary prizes available for both categories – offering £1,000, £750 and £250 respectively – all applications will be judged and awarded by an expert panel.

As Amardeep Singh Dhadwal, the Undergraduate (Professionalism) Gold Award Winner of 2015 comments, “I would definitely recommend other students to enter the competition next year; it is a great opportunity to discuss and consider what dentistry means to you and what you aspire to as a dental professional.”

Indeed, not only is the ADG Undergraduate Bursary Award 2016 an excellent opportunity for personal development in young professionals and a chance to earn the respect of their colleagues, but it is also beneficial to the future care of patients.

The ADG also recognises the talent and commitment of both postgraduate students and dentists with a dental degree undertaking postgraduate training. Offering a bursary of £5,000 to the winner, applications must detail a project to be executed within the UK – either to improve access for disadvantaged people or to build awareness on oral cancers and the need for early diagnosis – and must be implemented during 2016/17.

Although £2,500 of the award must be used to support the delivery of the project, the other half is very much a reward – and will be a well-deserved one at that. As Orna Ni Choileain, who was last year’s joint winner with Niall McGoldrick, highlights however, the bursary is much more than a cash prize. “When I found out we won the bursary, I had the perfect mixture of shock and excitement. It feels like a great achievement to have our work setting up the ‘Let’s Talk About Mouth Cancer’ charity recognised by other professionals on a national level.”

If you are thinking of applying or know somebody that is suitable for the award, contact the ADG today for more information. Who knows, it could be you?

For more information about the ADG visit www.dentalgroups.co.uk

The John Zamet Memorial Prize has been established to recognise and commemorate the significant contribution made to clinical periodontology by the late Dr John Zamet.
 

Dr Zamet was an Honorary Consultant and Senior Research Fellow at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute, a Past President and Honorary Member of the British Society of Periodontology and the founder Chairman and a Trustee of the Alpha Omega London Chapter and Charitable Trust.

Applications are open to all UK-based postgraduate dental students studying for a Masters degree or PhD who are undertaking or who have recently completed original research associated with clinical periodontology.

The prize will be awarded every other year with a value of £2,000.

Applicants should submit a covering letter and an abstract not exceeding 1000 words which should, at least, cover the following areas:

1. Background to project?
2. Aims
?3. Methods?
4. Relevance to clinical periodontology
?5. Start and completion dates (estimated completion date will suffice if ongoing)

Three paper copies of the application should be submitted by 31st December 2015 to:

Professor Andrew Eder?Chairman, The Alpha Omega London Charitable Trust 2nd floor, 57a Wimpole Street, London W1G 8YP

And also sent electronically via email to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.?. The applicant must also submit a letter of support from their research supervisor confirming their supervision of the project. The submission will be considered by a panel of at least two Specialists in Periodontology of Professorial/Consultant status whose decision is final.

The successful applicant would normally be invited to present the results and/or clinical implications of the research at a meeting of the Alpha Omega London Chapter.

As part of this year’s Clinical Innovations Conference (CIC), Healthcare Learning, in association with MyDentist, presented the Clinical Innovations Awards 2015.

Held in the stunning Battlebridge Room in the King’s Place venue, London – overlooking the Regent’s Canal – the evening was a prime opportunity to celebrate some of the year’s finest innovations and achievements.

Many excellent products were nominated for the coveted Product Awards, and the expert panel of judges awarded the following Product Winners:

·        Pikster Tip Brush – from Erskine Dental

·        SpotIt – from Directa

·        Synea Vision – from W & H (UK) Ltd.

Not only were the Awards a chance to showcase some of the most distinguished new products in the industry, it was also a fantastic occasion to celebrate some of its finest people as well. The Dental Nurse Certificate was given in recognition to those nurses who had shown outstanding commitment to the Advanced Dental Nursing apprenticeship. The winners were:

·        Keisha Ellis Dale

·        Artesia Anderson

·        Phoebe Kennedy

The Clinical Innovations Awards evening was a perfect addition to CIC 2015 – and allowed delegates to enjoy good food, live music and the company of like-minded and enthusiastic colleagues.

For more information call 020 7400 8989, visit www.healthcare-learning.com or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

And follow us on twitter for all the latest @hlc_newsweb @hlc_smileon

According to research, humans can process visual information around 60,000 times faster than text.[1] As such, the use of graphics and photos in presentations or posters can be an incredibly effective tool with which to deliver information to your audience.

This does not mean that text is superfluous. It is vital to provide context and deepen the explanation for the visual aids you decide to use. Nevertheless, text must be used sparingly. Long, compact paragraphs of it can be difficult to penetrate – especially from the distance at which most presentations or posters will be viewed. Text needs to be read and its meaning digested, and this takes time. Instead, consider using listed points and shorter sentences to expedite the process.

The type of font you use is also crucial. Avoid script-like fonts, no matter how attractive they may look. Serif fonts are far easier for the human eye to process and by using them, you can maximise the ease with which your audience can assimilate your written information.

You must also consider the colour of your font and of the background upon which you will display it. If poorly chosen, text can be difficult to read and will, most likely, be ignored. For example, harmonious colours like blues and greens are far more difficult to distinguish from one another so try to avoid using them together. Complimentary colours, on the other hand, are far clearer – yellows and purples, for example – but tend to seem a little garish and childlike. In most cases, light backgrounds and dark text work best together. They may be less striking but are, overall, the most effective. What’s more, when they are juxtaposed with good visual components, they can be unassumingly aesthetic.    

Therefore, you must also carefully choose your graphics or photos. Not only must they be eye-catching on their own, they must also compliment your text. Ensure that any photos are of high enough quality to be scaled up to a big screen if necessary. Pixelated images are simply awful to look at, as are those that are excessively blurred or out of focus.

Importantly, each image or graphic must earn its place. Unnecessary pictures undermine an otherwise effective presentation or poster, as do those that are not succinctly linked to the information you are giving. Remember to include figure numbers for each image to anchor them to your text; this way your audience will know exactly where they are required to look, and why.

Graphs and charts are similarly indispensible for conveying large amounts of data easily. Like your other images though, they must always be relevant. They must also be well labelled and easy to understand and, often, simplicity is the best way of achieving this. 

Less is more is almost certainly the way to create a concise, clear and stylish presentation or poster. Avoid crowded text and irrelevant material, garish or harmonious colours. By displaying your information in a way that is easier for your audience to understand, the more they will be able to process and remember.

These are exactly the types of considerations that entrants must keep in mind for the BACD’s inaugural Eposter Presentation. Calling on dentists who are no more than three years graduated, the Academy is excited to showcase some of the most progressive thinking in the industry through this presentation.

All accepted posters will be evaluated by an experienced committee comprised of Dr Anoop Maini, President of the BACD; Dr Donald Sloss, Chair of the BACD Credentialing Committee and Dr Simon Chard, Chair of the BACD Young Membership Committee.

They will be looking for posters that are clear, eye-catching and informative – and that concisely present a diverse range of research and clinical innovation.

The winners will be announced on the evening of Friday 13^th November, during the BACD Gala Dinner, where they will receive a variety of fantastic prizes including one year’s BACD membership and complimentary registration to next year’s Annual Conference.  

All submissions must be uploaded to the World Dental Posters website by Friday 2^nd October 2015 and entrants will receive notification of their submission no later than the end of that month.

For the opportunity to present some of your own innovative and progressive ideas to a wide and renowned audience, be sure to submit your entry for the BACD Eposter Presentation.

For more information about the BACD Eposter Presentation and for further enquiries about the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, go to www.bacd.com

To upload your completed posters on the World Dental Posters website, go to www.worlddentalposters.com

Following the success of its 2015 Bursary Awards, the Association of Dental Groups (ADG) would like to announce that applications for 2016 are now open.

Each year, ADG seeks to find the most innovative and inspirational voluntary projects from young dental professionals in the UK through its annual Bursary competition. Divided into separate categories for Postgraduate and Undergraduate entries, all submissions will be judged anonymously by an expert panel, with cash prizes awarded to the winning applicants.

Orna Ni Choileain and Niall McGoldrick won the 2015 Postgraduate award. Orna says: “When I found out we won the bursary, I had the perfect mixture of shock and excitement. It feels like a great achievement to have our work setting up the 'Let's Talk About Mouth Cancer’ charity recognised by other professionals on a national level.”

The ADG’s commitment to developing the clinicians of tomorrow is epitomised by its annual awards, which give young dental professionals the opportunity to be recognised for a specific project or for their own pioneering ideas.

Amardeep Singh Dhadwal won the 2015 Undergraduate (Professionalism) gold award. He says: “I would definitely recommend other students to enter the competition next year; it is a great opportunity to discuss and consider what dentistry means to you and what you aspire to as a dental professional.”

Applications for the 2016 Bursary Awards are now open and entries can be completed using the forms available via the ADG website. If you are interested in entering, or know of someone who might be, visit the website today to find out more.

For more information about the ADG visit www.dentalgroups.co.uk.

Following the success of the 2015 Bursary Awards, the Association of Dental Groups (ADG) would like to announce that applications for 2016 are now open.

Each year, ADG seeks to find the most innovative and inspirational voluntary projects from young dental professionals in the UK through its annual Bursary competition. Divided into separate categories for Postgraduate and Undergraduate entries, all submissions will be judged anonymously by an expert panel, with prizes awarded to the winning applicants.

The ADG’s commitment to developing the clinicians of tomorrow is epitomised by its annual awards, which give young dental professionals the opportunity to be recognised for a specific project or for their own pioneering ideas.

Applications for the 2016 Bursary Award are now open and entries can be completed using the forms available via the ADG website. If you are interested in entering, or know of someone who might be, visit the website today to find out more.

For more information about the ADG visit www.dentalgroups.co.uk.

Those of you who read and digest the news and views of dentistry at large will perhaps have noticed the recent Private Dentistry Awards¹.  A rip roaring time in London for all who attended.  A sore head or two the next day I’ll bet.

The recent announcement of the winners serves to highlight the lengths that many colleagues will go to strive for excellence. They are also extraordinary in that they can find the time to document their activities and seek to obtain external recognition. To all who entered and indeed were in the awards, heartfelt congratulations.

To all of you who did not enter, I am sure I am not alone in noticing that the effect rubs off.

You read about how others do things.  You read about ideas and marketing. You introduce these things in your own way into your own practice.  Just because you do not enter does not mean you are not a winner.

Of course, the clue is in the name – none of these particular practices lay claim to  providing dental care under the NHS, although how many of them employ NHS associates remains to be detailed.

But as we witness NHS England purging their Performers List with suspect letters of a dodgy tone threatening removal arbitrarily simply because it suits someone in London’s database management skills, it seems to me that there is no doubt about this: Beware the false security that the Government offers.

Left to its own devices, Dentistry as a business and a profession would make a far better job of marketing its services at the right price, in the right place, to best suit a particular patient base than any mish-mash of Reds, Ambers and Greens that the Government’s Department of Health lackeys can come up with. Why it is that our academic colleagues often fail to see or understand this paradigm remains a mystery.  Are we all really that imbued with social guilt so that any talk to do with the NHS simply proves it is culturally embedded?

That must be the counterpart message of the BDA as it emerges leaner, poorer, but fitter and raring to “engage”.

By all means engage with the DH, but the BDA must lay out the subtle threat that we do have to courage to do it ourselves, and will do it better.

Now that is a profession in a win-win position. The winners of such a brave approach would be everyone, patients included.

1        http://www.dentistry.co.uk/news/smiles-and-success-uk%E2%80%99s-private-practices

2        http://www.privatedentistry.co.uk/awards/