Fiona Ellwood, patron of the Society of British Dental Nurses, updates us on last week's conference and National Dental Nursing day...

It has been a difficult six months, but our virtual conference was an unbelievable success.

Going virtual was a bit of a risk, but one that certainly paid off – what a buzz, is all we can say. Then we did it all again on Sunday with National Dental Nursing day and international followers joining in – for us there was a real connection with like minded people. We laughed we cried, we remembered, we reminisced, we celebrated … the day went so quickly, time just went in a flash.

The Society of British Dental Nurses came together with the intention of encouraging dental nurses to think outside the box and to motivate them in difficult times and the feedback we received suggests we achieved our intention and expectations of the day.

The programme certainly had something for everyone, but before the day began all of the delegates joined the Society with a two-minutes silence in memory of Linnette Cruz, the dental nurse from Swansea who sadly lost her fight against COVID-19 in April 2020. The family and the practice were involved in the event.

Our first speaker was dentist Mo Jaffer Ismail, who worked as a Clinical Fellow in a prison setting. He shared his reflection of the differences and challenges of providing dental care in a secure setting where perhaps oral health is not a priority and often neglected, he did not disappoint – he had everyone asking questions.

Dr Len D’Cruz then inspired us all and certainly put many on the right track when it came to contemporaneous record writing and keeping and shed a light on some indemnity queries and legal and GDC aspects, too. For those of you who believe you know everything there is to know about consent and the writing up of treatments, if you get to hear Dr Len D’Cruz speak you may think again.

Next up was surgeon and academic Richard Moore, who delivered and excellent presentation on venous cannulation in dentistry. This was a subject that delegates had voiced an interest in previously and certainly had everyone interested, with great graphics and a stepped approach to show all the considerations when placing the cannula and more. There was great discussion around the opportunity and possibility of dental nurses undertaking venous cannulation amongst the delegates and from across the nations.

With a swift coffee break, on to Angela Chesworth and Living with obesity: A trip to the dentist. Angela shared the most incredible story with us and we are sure it was a story that none of the delegates will ever forget. If nothing else, her story will hopefully change the way that some perhaps look and behave at times when someone who is living with obesity attends for an appointment. Her story was heart felt and I am sure if a pin was dropped you would have heard it. All of the delegates came off silent to applaud her, she truly was an inspiration.

Then on to dental therapist Annette Matthews, who talked about MASCED – a tool to help the team spot potential skin cancers. Annette is a dental therapist who has branched out to skin care, but offers training in MASCED awareness and other skin care courses. A fascinating topic and Annette kindly gave two courses to the prize section for two lucky dental nurses to train in skin awareness. Annette also gave a prize for one of her skin care courses – huge thanks to Annette.

Finally, Diane Rochford, the newly elected President of the British Society of Dental Hygiene & Therapy, delivered an excellent talk on erosive tooth wear and the role of the dental nurse. How often have we been part of courses of treatment and recognised erosion and yet nothing has really been noted? Well this is a great way to shine a light on it – exciting times.

Quick break and the awards ceremony. On opening, the Society acknowledged Janet Goodwin. The winners and runners up were announced and then the competition was announced. All to start again on Sunday with National Dental Nurses Day, cup cakes and pictures were flying into social media – all that was left to say was what a tremendous effort and thank you to everyone.

A last point is that the Community Heroes list will shortly be available. Thank you everyone for making 2020 Conference truly amazing.

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