BSPD welcomes new recall guidance designed to ensure the most vulnerable children and young people (CYP) get access to dental care as swiftly as possible. Published this week, the guidance supplements existing NICE recall guidance which recommends CYP are seen at least annually. A new implementation tool supports the guidance. Red, amber and green colour-coding provide dental teams with a clear direction on the CYP who should be prioritised for recall. In future, all dental practices should ensure the youngest and most vulnerable children are prioritised for care.

The September issue of the International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry – which has just been published online (1) - marks two anniversaries, thirty years since its inaugural issue in 1991 and fifty years since our specialty published its first scientific journal, Proceedings of the British Paedodontic Society (PBPS). The PBPS went on to become the Journal of Paediatric Dentistry until in 1991, as result of a merger with the publication of the International Association of Paediatric Dentistry, it became the prestigious International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry (IJPD). Since then IJPD has been published bi-monthly as the official journal of both organisations.

Newly published guidance to improve how children and young people (CYP) experience healthcare is welcomed by the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD). Drafted by NICE (The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), the guidance entitled ‘Babies, Children and Young People's Experience of Healthcare’ is designed to ensure the preferences and feelings of young patients are consistently central to their treatment.

BSPD’s patients are among Society’s most vulnerable. They may have a complex condition, a dental anomaly or extensive decay but whatever their needs, they are children and should be prioritised. Yet a workforce shortage which has been ignored for more than a decade makes access to a specialist in paediatric dentistry a challenge in many areas of the UK. New research into the UK’s dental specialist workforce suggests that the number of specialists in paediatric dentistry should be trebled to meet the needs of children aged 0-16.

Children suffering from the blight of dental decay caused by processed foods over-laden with sugar need protecting says Professor Amandine Garde, the founding director of the Law & Non-Communicable Diseases Research Unit at the University of Liverpool. A leading expert on the role that the law can have on promoting better health, Professor Garde is a speaker in the first session of BSPD’s Conference on 5 October when she will explain why she advocates for a child rights-based approach to the prevention of non-communicable diseases.