British Dental Association
| British Dental Association | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | BDA |
| Formation | 1880 |
| Type | Professional body |
| Legal status | Non-profit company, Special register body and registered charity |
| Purpose/focus | Dentistry in the UK |
| Headquarters | 64 Wimpole Street, Marylebone, W1G 8YS |
| Region served | UK |
| Chief Executive | Peter Ward |
| Main organ | BDA Principal Executive Committee (Chair - Martin Fallowfield) |
| Website | BDA |
The British Dental Association (BDA) is the largest voluntary membership organisation for dentists in the UK.
Structure
The majority of the BDA’s 22,000 members are family dentists, working in general practice providing both National Health Service (NHS) and private care. BDA members also work in community and hospital settings, universities and the British armed forces.
The BDA’s headquarters is in Wimpole Street, London near Queen's College, London in the City of Westminster and it currently has offices in Stirling, Scotland, Belfast, Northern Ireland and Cardiff, Wales. BDA Manchester opened in May 2008 and is in Lowry House.
History
The Dental Reform Committee formed the BDA in 1880. Sir John Tomes was the first President. The Dental Act 1921 created the Dental Board of the UK, whose functions have been taken over by the General Dental Council since 1956. The BDA headquarters were opened by the Queen in March 1967.
Function
The organisation represents dentists at national and local level, ensuring that the views and concerns of the profession are high on the political and public agenda.
The BDA promotes good practice and patient care, and provides members with expert advice in all aspects of practice, management and opportunities for continuing professional development.
The organisation is also a scientific society promoting higher standards (often in co-operation with other organisations) and improvements in the oral health of the nation.
Publications
It has the most comprehensive collection of dental literature in Europe and subscribes to over 200 dental journals and provides members with free Medline searches. The BDA produces regular dental publications, including the British Dental Journal (for clinical articles and jobs) and BDA News (for news and views).
Regulation of dentists
The BDA is not the regulatory body for dentists in the United Kingdom. Dentists are regulated by the General Dental Council.
British Dental Association Museum
Its museum in Wimpole Street holds the largest collection of dental material in Britain. It includes dental instruments, equipment, furniture, photographs, archives, fine and decorative art. The museum is maintained as a national resource for the dental profession, dental industry, researchers and members of the public and aims to promote an appreciation of dentistry today through an understanding of its past. The museum is located at BDA Headquarters at 64 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8YS. Museum website. The museum is a member of the London Museums of Health & Medicine.
British Dental Association Library
The British Dental Association has a Library which opened to members in its new Wimpole Street location in 1967 (however the library was established at one of the BDA's previous locations in 1920 by Lilian Lindsay, its first Honorary Librarian). It is the most comprehensive dental library in Europe, and is open from Monday to Friday, from 9am-6pm (until 7pm on a Wednesday). Admission is free to members. It is not open to non-members except for bona fide academic researchers and then by prior appointment only.
The Library is located at BDA Headquarters Telephone: 020 7563 4545 http://www.bda.org/library
See also
- British Society of Dental Hygiene & Therapy