Hospital dentists: Making the most of your membership
Enjoy access to the BDA and BMA’s wealth of learning, advice and support: two for the price of one!
As a BDA member working in hospital dentistry, you’re not alone. Your membership with us gives you access to one-to-one advice from the BMA’s advisors, learning that supports your career, access to indemnity that protects you in your role, and a union that fights for your rights.
On top of that, you can tap into 270+ hours of CPD, including our new core CPD offer – covering 32 hours of GDC-recommended topics in an on-demand course you can complete at your own pace.
Your BDA membership benefits
Hospital dentists with BDA membership can expect:
Representation – campaigning for fair pay on your behalf, a mandate which stretches from submitting robust and compelling evidence each year to the pay review body, liaising with the BMA when they are negotiating on behalf of hospital dentists with government, and organising industrial action when other routes have been exhausted
Pension scheme support – guidance from our dedicated pensions team to help you understand your options and plan with confidence
Career hub information – explore roles available in hospital dentistry
Resources for your career – including the BDJ Portfolio, free weekly webinars, discounts on clinical and business events and training, and access to Europe’s largest dental library
Emotional and professional support – 24/7 counselling and our expert online advice whenever you need it
Access to one-to-one advice through the BMA – for hospital-specific employment issues and contracts.
Specialist 1-2-1 support through the BMA
Through our partnership with the BMA, you gain direct access to their advisors for specialist employment support. Because your employment terms and conditions mirror those of doctors, the BMA negotiates your hospital contracts on our behalf and provides expert one-to-one advice on your rights and entitlements.
This means you can count on:
- Confidential, one-to-one employment advice tailored to hospital dentistry – whatever your membership grade
- Contract support and negotiation to protect your rights
- A stronger voice in pay negotiations and industrial action through joint working with doctors.
Together, the BDA and BMA ensure hospital dentists are supported, represented, and heard.
How to contact the BMA
If you need hospital employment advice, or contract support you can contact the BMA directly through their online enquiry form. Fill out their brief online form to get paired with a specialist advisor at the BMA, have your membership number ready and select ‘BDA member’ from their dropdown menu.
The BMA team will review your query and get back to you as soon as possible. If they need more details or a phone conversation to move things forward, they’ll be in touch directly.
Industrial action: Our wins for hospital dentistry
- We have secured significant pay rises through industrial action
- We have successfully campaigned for improved pay for senior resident dentists
- We have secured a fairer pay scale for resident dentists in Northern Ireland.
Campaigning for fair pay
We're continuing to campaign for fair pay for hospital dentists. It is vital that members keep their details on our system up to date so that we are ballot ready should we need to proceed to balloting members on collective action. You can update your details via MyBDA.
Your representatives
National representation: Hospital Dentists Committee
Local representation: Local Negotiating Committees (LNCs)
“We successfully campaigned to change "hospital dental trainees" to "resident dentists", a title that better reflects your professional expertise whether you're starting postgraduate training or years into specialty training."
Voices from your community
Wellbeing resources for dentists
Explore support services, counselling, further reading, and resources to help you manage stress, build resilience, and feel more connected. Whether you’re looking for 1:1 help, peer support, or practical tools - you can find everything related to mental health and wellbeing on our wellbeing hub.
Not already a member?
Working in hospital dentistry comes with unique challenges. As a member, you’ll have access to expert advice on contracts, disputes, parental rights, sickness absence and more, plus one-to-one telephone support when you need it. We fight your corner and lobby to change things for the better.
