130 Years of the BDA

The British Dental Association (BDA) is the professional association and trade union for dentists in the United Kingdom and was founded in 1880. It's mission is to:

• promote the interests of its members
• advance the science, arts and ethics of dentistry
• improve the nation’s oral health

Membership, which is voluntary, stands at around 23,000. The majority of members are in general practice, or ‘High Street’ practices. It is a complex organisation in that it has four key roles to play as:

• a service organisation
• a scientific society
• a trade union
• a professional association 

A service organisation

The BDA is a service organisation providing a wide range of individual services to members. The BDA is a membership organisation and is dependent upon members’ subscriptions and the strength of its membership. Excellent customer service is a priority and the services to members include the following:

• detailed advice on NHS rules and regulations
• help with individual problems including representation at a national or international  level in contractual disputes with employers and with NHS Trusts
• help and information on practice management and scientific and clinical topics
• guidance on employment law, health and safety and ethics
• access to a vast bank of dental literature, Medline searches, videos and study packs
• meeting other colleagues at national and local BDA meetings and the annual conference
• excellent free advisory publications and up-to-date information on the latest issues in dentistry via the British Dental Journal and the BDA News

A scientific society

The BDA is a scientific society promoting higher standards and improvements in oral health. The public and media turn regularly to the BDA for information on dental matters. The BDA provides fact files on a range of subjects from dental phobia to emergency dental kits. The British Dental Journal (BDJ) and BDA News  keep dentists up-to-date with the latest issues in dentistry. Other BDA publications include Launchpad, a journal for dental students and new graduates

A trade union

The BDA is as a trade union providing collective representation of the profession in its dealings with the government and employing authorities

A professional association

The BDA is as a professional association promoting policies which benefit dental practice and dental care. The BDA works with the manufacturers of consumer dental health products to improve the information available to the public about oral health care. The BDA is also a lobbying organisation. It lobbies parliament and government on legislation affecting dentists as business people and clinicians, and on issues such as dental student debt and water fluoridation.  In Europe we lobby the commission and the European parliament.

The governance of the association follows democratic principles. A Representative Body with approximately 85 dentist members from around the UK, is elected on a three year cycle. This body is the most important committee of the association. At its regular meetings throughout the year, it receives reports from the Executive Board and the autonomous committees, representing all the constituant parts of the profession. It delegates more detailed scrutiny to the smaller Executive Board, which meets regularly and is the associations board of directors. The current Chairman of the Executive Board is Susie Sanderson. The elected officers are supported by full time professional staff, led by the Chief Executive.

Our Staff

The BDA's CEO Peter Ward leads a team of approximately 130 staff based in our offices in London, Cardiff, Stirling, Belfast and Manchester. The BDA also has a small team of Regional Consultants who are based throughout England and are responsible for enhancing our service to our members at a more local level.

For more information about the BDA's teams and staff, please visit the BDA Directorates section of our website.