BSGDS: Raising Standards

To seek greater good and enhance patient care by continued group interaction and peer review

President’s message

It is a very great privilege and an honour to be elected President of the BSGDS. I have been a member of the Society almost from the beginning and Helen & I have attended a great many of the conference week–ends, deriving great pleasure from them all in different ways. Not without reason has the Society been called the ‘best club in dentistry’. Many of us have just returned from a superb conference in Gozo, organised by Joseph Xuereb and his wife, Elsie. Those of you who did not come missed a real treat. Can I encourage you not to miss the 2008 conference in Jersey from 1–5 October. We have a speaker of international renown, Derek Mahony, and the period of the conference has been extended to allow all of us to relax and to have time to explore this lovely island.

The decision to allow the MGDS examination to die was not surprising, but it has prompted a number of us to ask where new members of the Society will come from. There would be a few Fellowship holders and we have agreed to accept holders of the Diplomas in Implantology and Restorative Dentistry from the FGDP. An initiative, started by Trevor Bigg in his Presidential year, to update the BSGDS database has continued throughout the past year. Roy Dixon, membership secretary, and I, in my role as treasurer have succeeded in increasing the membership by 26. This is as a result of some new members and some who have rejoined.

The Dean of the FGDP, Richard Hayward, himself a member of our Society for many years, has invited the President of the BSGDS to attend Board meetings of the Faculty as an observer. It was often the case in the past that the President was on the Board anyway, but where that is not the case, this kind invitation enables the Society to be represented and kept in touch with all the developments in our profession.

Members of the Society are still lecturing in Nepal for the MFGDP with the next group going out in February 2008 and the working visit to Tanzania is likely to be in October 2008. This will not be a holiday although the stay will be able to be extended. I firmly believe, like Steve, that our Society should be involved with colleagues and people abroad and I will work to promote this during my year.

So, all in all, the year ahead should be a very exciting year and a challenge to which I am very much looking forward. See you all in Jersey.

Mike Jones

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