BSP

I am delighted to introduce myself as the Chair of the Dental Practitioners Section of the British Society of Periodontology (BSP) which has by far the largest number of members. I was elected to this prestigious and important post in 2014 and since then have represented the interests of hard working General Dental Practitioners at the British Society of Periodontology.

I enjoy attending the Council meetings, which are held in London four times per year as it provides an opportunity for me to network with the other members of the BSP and contribute to proceedings. I consider that my main role is to present the concerns or issues raised to me by general dental practitioners. The agenda of each meeting provides me with a guaranteed forum which I use to relay these issues to the council members for their consideration. In the past I have made representation on such topics as postgraduate training, specialisation in periodontics and provision of periodontal treatment within the NHS. I am very happy to be contacted by e mail via the BSP on these or any other issues. 

The BSP is a dynamic organisation which organises excellent conferences twice per year. Periodocally, these are held in conjunction with the European Federation of Periodontology (efp.org), to which the BSP is strongly affiliated. The conferences are a superb opportunity to confirm current concepts and to meet and listen to experts and generalist in their field. In this era of compulsory CPD, these conferences are a recommended way of ensuring that the quality of information is appropriate. Once a year, I am fortunate to be allocated a full session to provide speakers whose remit is to address topics that would be of interest to the general practitioners. The subjects do not need to be strictly related to periodontics, with one of the best sessions recently covering the aversion of disaster in the aviation industry.

I am open to suggestion on topics and am often able to use this as an opportunity to clarify issues that are raised to me from time to time.  In the future, I plan to modify the session to allow time for an open forum where attendees can raise issues of interest. It will enable this important group within the BSP to challenge the status quo. My aim is that we should provide general practitioners an opportunity for greater representation and influence. 

My other role is to represent the BSP itself, to the Specialist Advisory Committee at Royal College of Surgeons in London. Here, I attend and contribute to meetings, after which I report back to the Council. I am currently part of a BSP working party charged with reviewing the curriculum for speciality training in periodontics, which provides a fantastic opportunity to shape and influence the direction of periodontology.

I am also asked to take part in the formalised assessment of Specialist Trainees in Restorative Dentistry.  I thoroughly enjoy my role representing the largest section of the BSP and look forward to hearing from members and voicing their concerns at council. I would ask for members to become involved by contacting me via the BSP website and helping to shape the future.

Nick Claydon

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