The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) has issued a joint statement clarifying dental therapists’ ability to perform procedures under general anaesthesia (GA). The statement, supported by the General Dental Council (GDC) has been co-developed with the British Association of Dental Therapists, the British Society of Special Care Dentistry, and the Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry.

The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD), the UK’s leading organisation advocating for good oral health for children and young people, has refreshed the Society’s Mission Statement & Strategy for 2026 to 2029 - issuing for the first time ever a version for children and young people. The three-year plan is based on eight core aims focusing on the Society’s priorities and keeping our most vulnerable young people at the heart. The principle of creating a first-ever version for children, co-created with feedback from children, is fundamental to ensuring that BSPD delivers advice and materials that are relevant to and can be understood by every child, including those who are neurodivergent.

In response to the release of the latest Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data from NHS Digital1, BSPD reiterates the need for every child to have early access to preventively focused oral healthcare. The HES data published today describes the numbers of children admitted to NHS hospitals in England for dental treatment. The Society says it represents an incomplete data set as children receiving care within community dental services are currently unlikely to be included. These children, many of whom have additional needs, often endure longer waiting times, particularly as community dental teams are facing increased referrals due to the challenges families face in accessing primary dental care.

As Dr Oosh Devalia starts her presidential year, the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) issues her BSPD President’s Charter 2025-2026, which provides guidance to policymakers to deliver ‘Good oral health for EVERY child in the UK’. This new Charter follows BSPD’s ‘Blueprint to improve children’s oral health’ which was issued in 2023. Since then a number of the Society’s recommendations have been actioned, including the roll-out of targeted supervised toothbrushing and the proposed expansion of community water fluoridation in areas of high tooth decay. So now is the right time to revise BSPD’s focus to ensure that good oral health for every child is achieved.

BSPD saw members gather on 11th and 12th September in their hundreds at the Society’s Annual Scientific Conference at the Royal College of Music in London’s South Kensington, which focused this year on ‘Foundations for the Future’.