The Education and Standards Committee steers the BDA’s policies in educational matters and makes recommendations to the Executive Board. The area of education is broad and the committee ensures that the BDA is involved through its cross-representation to and from outside organisations. Its members represent the BDA on committees of and at meetings with a large number of organisations, such as the General Dental Council, the Department of Health, the Conference of Postgraduate Dental Deans and Directors, the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK), the Conference of VT Advisers and the Healthcare Commission, to name but a few. 

The committee is chaired by Executive Board Vice Chair Judith Husband. The other members are Ruby Austin (Representative Body), Karl Bishop (Central Committee for Hospital Dental Services), (Graham Brown (GDPC), Michael Cranfield (cross-representative, Central Committee for Community and Public Health Dentistry), Shelagh Farrell (Representative Body), Nicolas Jepson (Central Committee for Dental Academic Staff), Nigel Jones (Representative Body), Gareth Lloyd (GDPC Executive), Alasdair Miller (Representative Body), Shiv Pabary (Representative Body), Susie Sanderson (Chair of Executive Board), Graham Stokes (Representative Body), and Gordon Thomson (Representative Body).

The committee’s remit is to consider and advise on all matters appertaining to the education of dentists and the dental team, and to the maintenance and raising of professional standards. It encourages quality assurance and enhancement of practice in all aspects of dental education. It practice, this means that it advises and develop policies on topics as diverse as CPD, clinical governance, vocational training and foundation training, and the provision of courses for dentists and the team.

The Committee has the following specific objectives:

• To ensure that the Association’s views are disseminated, and to be proactive in all issues pertaining to education of the dental team.

• To ensure communication and coordination of activity within the whole of the Association in matters concerning education.

• To promote quality in all aspects of dental education and practice.

• To develop new relationships and build on existing good relations with outside bodies that are concerned with education in dentistry, and seek to influence their policy-making as appropriate.

• To acknowledge the importance of, and continue to encourage horizon-scanning as an essential part of the work of the Association in relation to education.

• To promote equality and diversity in all aspects of its work.

For more information, please contact the committee secretary, Ulrike Matthesius, at u.matthesius@bda.org.