Membership of the Society

Who can join the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry?

All members of the dental team who have an interest in Paediatric Dentistry may join the Society. There are five categories of membership:

  • Full membership is open to dentists entitled to practice in the United Kingdom (£60).
  • International membership is for dentists who are resident outside the United Kingdom (£40).
  • *Associate membership is for those in the Dental Care Professionals (DCP) or Postgraduate Dental Students (£40). 
  • Retired membership is open to all retired dentists who were entitled to practice in the UK (£40). 
  • * Student membership is available for Undergraduate Dental Sudents and student DCPs (£15).                     

*Applications from Postgraduate and Undergraduate students must be accompanied by a letter of confirmation from the institution in which they are currently studying.

An Honorary Life Membership may be given to a member who is considered to have made contributions of major character to the advancement of child oral health. The individual must be recommended and elected for this post by members of the Society.
 
The membership year runs from January to December although subscriptions are due on 1st September each year.  Please note, however, that the full subscription fee applies regardless of when you join during the year. If you do join the society mid way through the membership year back issues of the journal can be provided on request.

After joining BSPD future membership subscriptions are paid annually via standing order on the 1 September. Standing order forms are only available from the Society administrator administrator@bspd.co.uk and will be sent to you on approval of your application.
Should you prefer to pay by cheque, this will incur an additional £5.00 administration charge.

All membership fees can be found on the application form (see link below)

To download an application form click here.
 
Benefits of membership

The Society currently has over 500 members.

Branch membership

Members of the national Society are also members of their local Regional Branch with no additional cost and have voting rights at Branch meetings. Most Branches arrange a programme of acclaimed local and national speakers each year and also meet to hear and to enable members to share ideas, knowledge and experience and to contribute to national policy making.

Annual Scientific Meeting and AGM

In addition to the Branch Meetings, the Society meets as a whole at its Annual Scientific Meeting in September. All members are invited to register for this Conference. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is held on the Friday afternoon of the conference. Voting rights at the AGM are limited to those with full membership, although all members are entitled to attend the meeting.

The three day scientific programme includes papers of scientific and clinical interest. In addition, short papers, clinical case presentations and posters submitted for the BSPD Young Researcher's Prize, sponsored by 3M ESPE, BSPD Poster Prize sponsored by Dentsply and the Clinical Case Presentation Prize, sponsored by RA Medical Devices Ltd. are presented.

International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry

Members also receive the International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry bimonthly and can access the journal online (how to access online) via Blackwell Synergy or Athens. Tips for writing high quality papers and the publishing policy of the International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry are available online by clicking here.

BSPD Directory

The Society publishes a directory of members of the Society which includes details of members' special interests for use by colleagues. This is invaluable for the transfer and receipt of patients and also to facilitate communication within the Society.

Other Groups

In addition to the Regional Branches, the Society also has other branches and affiliated groups which members can join. Memberships of these are as follows:

  • The Specialists' Branch: Members of the BSPD who are on the specialist list in Paediatric Dentistry held be the General Dental Council (GDC)
  • The Teachers' Branch: Members of the BSPD who have a teaching role in Paediatric Dentistry.
  • The Policy and Clinical Effectiveness Committee: Members represent BSPD, the Specialists' Branch, and the Consultants' and Trainees Groups.
  • The Consultants in Paediatric Dentistry Group: Any one who holds a substantive or honorary Consultant post in the field of Paediatric Dentistry in the United Kingdom This group is affiliated to the Society.

With the exception of the Policy and Clinical Effectiveness Committee, membership of these groups incurs an additional small subscription, paid directly to the Treasurer of the relevant body.

If you would like further details about joining the Society, please contact the BSPD Administrator.