Peter Dyer installed as BDA President
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- Published: Tuesday, 30 May 2017 07:42
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Peter Dyer, consultant oral and maxillo-facial surgeon at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay, has been installed at BDA President for 2017-18. His main clinical interests are trauma and the treatment of dento-facial anomalies. He previously chaired the BDA’s Hospitals Committee.
Giving his Presidential address, Peter said the BDA had been a constant factor in his professional life starting as a dental student and running like a thread throughout his career. The BDA, he reminded his audience represents all aspects of dentistry whether it is general practice, the community, academia, the armed forces or the hospitals. However, he said, ‘our status as a profession is coming under threat as never before, and we as an Association need to recognise this and adapt to ensure that we and future generations of dentists are represented and supported’.
He continued: “We cannot ignore the changes taking place in our professional lives and the BDA is, and will continue to be, the voice for dentistry, helping to develop the future leaders of the profession.”
Turning to the issue of regulation Peter said the GMC had changed following the Bristol Children’s Heart Hospital scandal and is now a very different organisation from ten years ago. “It is reflective and responds to concerns appropriately but is still willing to change. It has regained the confidence of patients and the profession and throughout all of this, kept a doctor at the helm as President.”
Against this backdrop, Peter thought that ‘the BDA, acting as one of the foundations of our profession, can stand up and argue for a type of regulation in which both our patients and we feel confident.’ He continued: “This might include, for example, an appropriate appraisal system which can help the individual grow as a professional. It should also include, I believe, a regulator once again led by a dentist.”
He concluded by saying: “Undoubtedly, the world-renowned British Dental Journal is a jewel in our crown. It is, however, the BDA which is the face of dentistry, which binds us together through Section and Branch meetings where there is always a guaranteed sense of belonging. The Association will, with your support, continue to campaign for the profession.”
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