Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

June 4-10, 201210 News United Kingdom Edition D iana Wincott MBE, pays tribute to M Jean Smith MBE: Following the Second World War there was great difficulty in recruiting suitable dental chairside staff. There was no formal training available, pay was poor and the term `Attendant’ often deterred suitable applicants from enter- ing the work. The Dental Nurses and Assistants Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, established in 1940, sought to influence and act to secure proper training and pay for their members and protect the character and status of dental nurses. It was in this environment that the young Jean Smith found herself. Jean passed the National Examination in 1945 at the Leeds centre. At that time the Panel of Examiners consisted of six dentists. In 1948 Jean replied to an advertisement for a Secretary to the Dental Nurses and As- sistants Society who urgently needed a new secretary; the advertisement stated that, un- less someone came forward at once, the society would cease to function. Fortunately Jean Smith was appointed! Jean made a huge com- mitment to her work and suc- ceeded in increasing the num- ber of courses, candidates and examiners, ensuring that the professional status of dental nurses was promoted. She became widely recognised as the figurehead of the profes- sion. Then in January 1954 the British Dental Association and the British Dental Nurses Association agreed to form a Joint Committee. Recommendations on pay and conditions for den- tal nurses in General Dental Practice were issued in an advice sheet and in 1964 a National Voluntary Register was established. Jean Smith administered the register and became the first registrar. Succeeding years were occupied with ever increas- ing workloads and emerging issues of fluoridation, den- tal health education and post qualification courses. It be- came clear that there was a need to look at creating an improved career structure for dental nurses within the dental team; this was pursued with the BDA and representa- tives from Area Health Au- thorities and the Department of Health. Jean’s style was always calm and considered. She was able to read a situation and make timely judgements for the benefit of the profes- sion and it is through Jean’s considerable contribution that we now call ourselves a profession. This service to dentistry was recognised in 1975 when Jean was awarded the MBE in the Queen’s Birth- day Honours. (pictured) In 1978 the Association was officially entered on the records as a Trade Union. Pay negotiations continued with the BDA and through the Whitley Council. In 1983 a campaign was launched and MPs approached to sup- port a fair wages resolution. Jean prepared the submission made to the Nuffield Founda- tions research into the Train- ing and Future Role of Dental Nurses. Jean was determined to get proper recognition for Dental Nurses and in 1980 approach- es were made to the GDC to set up a group of stakehold- ers to standardise their train- ing and education. The Dental Nurse Standards and Training Advisory Board was set up in 1981 and the National Volun- tary Register was taken under the auspices of the GDC. A report was prepared and published in 1984 outlining, for the first time, the role and training objectives for dental nurses. It is widely acknowl- edged that much of the work in developing this document was undertaken by Jean and three other dental nurse rep- resentatives. Jean Smith retired from the Association on 31st De- cember 1985 but continued to work for the Examining Board and in the development of Oc- cupational Standards. Jean Smiths’ impact on the Dental Nursing Profession is without equal. She leaves a daughter Jennifer, grandchil- dren Diane and Joel and great granddaughters Natalie, Han- nah, Isobel and Alexandra. DT A long career dedicated to the dental nursing profession- Jean Smith T he results of the elections for seats on the Brit- ish Dental Association’s Principal Executive Committee (PEC) have been announced. Voting for the elections finished on Wednesday 23 May and has been followed by the counting of ballot papers. The successful candidates and the geographical constit- uencies they have been elect- ed to represent are: • Dr Martin Fallowfield (Eng- land, East) • Dr Judith Husband (Eng- land, East Midlands) • Dr Russ Ladwa (England, London) • Dr Paul Blaylock (England, North) • Dr Victor Chan (England, South East) • Dr Nigel Jones (England, South West) • Dr Eddie Crouch (England, West Midlands) • Dr Mick Armstrong (Eng- land, Yorkshire and Humber) • Dr Philip Henderson (Northern Ireland) • Dr Robert Kinloch (Scot- land) • Dr Stuart Johnston (Wales) A bye-election will take place in the England, North West constituency, with no representative having been elected to represent the seat during these elections. Members have also been elected for three seats that will represent dentists across the whole of the UK. The suc- cessful candidates for the UK- wide seats are: • Dr Alison Lockyer • Dr Susie Sanderson • Dr Graham Stokes The senior officers of the PEC, including the Chair, will be elected in June, ahead of the body formally taking re- sponsibility for the govern- ance of the BDA on 1 July. The results of those elections will also be announced on the BDA website. DT BDA PEC member- ship announced The British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy (BSDHT) have announced the first awards under their new education Accreditation Scheme, which was launched at the Oral Health Conference & Exhibition at Bournemouth in November 2011. The scheme aims to en- sure a consistency of quality and standard for Continuous Professional Development ed- ucational material used by its members. BSDHT President, Sally Simpson, and BSDHT Accredi- tation Lead, Michaela O’Neill, presented the first three Awards at the recent Dentistry Show in Birmingham. The awards were received by Caroline Thompson on be- half of GSK for their Talking Points in Practice sessions on: • Acid Erosion • Dentine Hypersensitivity • Gingivitis and Periodontal Disease. DT BSDHT announce first accreditation awards B ridge2Aid are delighted to offer a new and ex- citing opportunity for volunteers in Dodoma, Tanza- nia. This is a new area for our Dental Volunteer Programme and after successfully piloting in January, they are now filling spaces for a second trip from the 2nd-12th October 2012. Dodoma, as illustrated on the map, is located inland and the geographical difference to Mwanza will offer returning volunteers the chance to experi- ence something completely new. Even as the capital city of Tanza- nia, Dodoma is under resourced and under developed with great dental needs within driving dis- tance of the city centre. Government officials in Do- doma requested our assistance, and following the pilot, we are confident that DVP will continue to work well in this location. At the moment Bridge2Aid have a limited number of plac- es left available for this trip so if you are interested in joining them, please contact the visits team for more information vis- its@bridge2aid.org DT Exciting volunteering opportunities with B2A