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04 Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 10/2016 UK NEWS Society for Women in Dentistry launched New perspectives at Belfast Oral Health Conference 2016 Young Dentist Endodontic Award By DTI LONDON, UK: It is estimated that by 2020 over half of dentists in the UK will be women. In order to address particular challenges re- lated to the feminisation of the workforce, as well as to encourage and inspire women to achieve their full potential in the field now and in the future, the Society for Women in Dentistry was officially launched this month. The introduction event in London saw presentations by out- going Executive Dean of King’s College London Dental Institute Prof. Dianne Rekow, British Dental Association executive member Dr Alison Lockyer, and General Dental Council adviser and prac- tice owner Dr Sana Movahedi, each of them speaking about their own careers in dentistry and the cur- rent issues women in the field face. Open to dental students and professionals across all universi- ties, the society will be welcoming both women and men to join and support them in their endeavour for a more diverse and equal work- force throughout the profession, not just on entry, the organisers said. In addition to several events, including a series of lectures to be held this year focusing on various specialities, in which successful individuals in their profession will describe their own career pathways, the society plans to hold regular networking events for undergraduates to meet each other and create contacts with fel- low students, graduate dentists and working professionals. It also announced plans to hold an event in March next year, coinciding with International Women’s Day, to raise the profile and celebrate the contributions of women in dentistry. Despite their increasing num- ber in the workforce, female den- tal professionals are still under- represented in most of the 13 spe- cialities,exceptdentalpublichealth, paediatric dentistry, special care dentistry and oral microbiology. Moreover, woman professionals are less involved in leadership, ac- cording to the society, preventing them from influencing decisions made at higher levels. By DTI BELFAST, UK: Under the theme of “Perspectives”, members of the British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy (BSDHT) recently met at Belfast Waterfront conven- tion centre to discuss how oral health issues affect overall health. One of the largest gatherings of dental care providers in the UK, this year’s Oral Health Conference aimed to look beyond the mouth in order to gain fresh perspectives on the wider impact of the dental profession. Introduced by four chief den- tal officers this morning, the pro- gramme started off with papers on peri-implantitis, presented by Liverpool dentist Dr Ian Dunn, and new concepts in the associa- tion between oral disease and sys- temic disease, discussed by hy- gienist Juliette Reeves. Over the course of the 18–19 November, the role of dental hygienists and ther- apists in oral and maxillofacial surgery practice, radiation pro- tection and stress management, among other topics, was also in focus. Participants were be able to gain valuable continuing pro- fessional development points by attending the lectures and hands- on sessions. The congress was supported by a number of major industry competitors, including Colgate- Palmolive, CURAPROX, Dentsply Sirona and GC. Over 300 members and interested dental profession- als took part in the event. Accord- ing to BSDHT President Michaela O’Neill, it offers a valuable oppor- tunity for members to come to- gether and share ideas, as well as advance their approach to their careers. “This is more than a learning opportunity; I want our members to shrug off their early winter blues and join us in Belfast to cele- brate all things great about our career,” she said. “I am asking our members to come to the confer- ence with an open mind, be will- ing to learn and share ideas and don’t be afraid to shake up the dental world.” “I want our members to go home thinking that they have new perspectives and connections which will help take them even further in their careers,” she con- tinued. The BSDHT currently repre- sents over 4,000 members across the UK. Its main conference is held biennially, and the last two were held in Liverpool. By DTI LONDON, UK: Described as a prize to recognise future stars in den- tistry, the Young Dentist Endo- dontic Award has been given since 2012 to young clinicians who have performed outstanding clinical work. This year, the jury recog- nised Dr Satnam Singh Virdee from Cardiff for his treatment of a case of chronic periapical perio- dontitis due to an infected root canal in a 36-year-old male pa- tient. The 26-year-old dental core trainee was awarded first prize, competing against fellow clini- cians Dr David Bretton from Hud- dersfield, who took second place with a routine, but highly well executed endodontic case, and Dr Jasneet Gulati from London, who submitted a case of an 18-year-old treated with mineral trioxide ag- gregate for apical closure. As the winner, Virdee took home an X-Smart iQ WaveOne Gold starter kit with dual cordless motor and an iPad mini from Dentsply Sirona. “His was the most technical- ly challenging case,” explained Dr Julian Webber, dentist at the Harley Street Centre for Endo- dontics in London and founder of the award. “The tooth had been treated before, but poorly, and the canals were curved with apices close to the maxillary sinus.” “This was the kind of case for which a specialist referral would normally be warranted,” he added. Webber and his co-judges, Dr Trevor Lamb, another London- based endodontic specialist, and Pro-Vice-Provost at University College London Prof. Andrew Eder, selected the winning en- tries from dozens of contribu- tions submitted by dentists from all over the UK during the last six months. Deciding who should take the first three places was very challenging owing to the high- quality of the treatment, accord- ing to them. “As we looked through these entries, supported by extensive references and a highly rigorous approach, from diagnosis and presentation of options to the shaping, cleaning and obturation of canals, at every stage using the correct technique, we had to keep reminding ourselves that these young dentists were effectively still in training. They are rising stars in the field of endodontics and a credit to their teaching hos- pitals and tutors,” Webber said. This year marked the fifth time that the award was given to young professionals in the field of endodontics. Those who would like to compete will have their chance when the next competi- tion begins in spring next year. Further details will be announced through the British Endodontic Society website. In 2020, over half of dentists in the UK will be female. © Photographee/Shutterstock.com Winner Satnam Singh Virdee (left) and runner-up David Bretton. © Media Mardle