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 four categories of membership:

Full Membership is open to dentists entitled to practice in the United Kingdom.
Associate Membership is for those in the Professions Complimentary to Dentistry or Dental Students
Retired Membership is open to all retired dentists who were entitled to practice in the UK
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.

Both Associate and Retired Membership are at a reduced yearly subscription and Honorary Life Membership incurs no fee.

Benefits of membership

The Society currently has over 800 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 via Blackwell Synergy or Athens.

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 Ben Cole, Honorary National Secretary or the local branch representative.

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