Scottish Dental Show 2022
The Scottish Dental Show roared back to life in real style, a showcase for the dental profession and featuring more than 140 exhibitors, a variety of hands-on workshops and stellar speaking names from within the profession and beyond
The Scottish Dental Show roared back to life in real style, a showcase for the dental profession and featuring more than 140 exhibitors, a variety of hands-on workshops and stellar speaking names from within the profession and beyond
The two-day event at Braehead Arena near Glasgow – the first to be held in three years because of the Covid pandemic – featured a jam-packed programme, along with the ability to network, discuss the state of dentistry and learn about the latest technology, products and services.
There were also hand-on classes and hours of workshops and lectures involving verifiable CPD. All participants were awarded a certificate for each lecture attended.
The Scottish Dental Show was a major success and reflected the positive energy and vibrancy of the profession.
The star speakers appearing at the show included the former NHS dentist Anas Sarwar, now leader of the Scottish Labour Party, and Tom Ferris, the Chief Dental Officer for Scotland, who addressed the issues of renewal, recovery and reform of dentistry in the National Health Service.
Peter Ommer, the Director of Dentistry at NHS Ayrshire and Arran, outlined his thoughts on the future of the public dental service, while Net Zero Dentistry Co-Founder Mike Gow discussed the carbon footprint of dental clinics and how this can be calculated.
There were a number of sessions on facial aesthetics, looking at the subject from various angles, including examining the business advantages and putting practical hands-on techniques under the microscope.
Geraldine Birks and Julia Armstrong, from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh’s Faculty of Dental Surgery, introduced a tool for dental nurses to observe non-technical skills, and Jeremy Cooper, founder of the helpline Confidental, led a discussion about anxiety and stress in the profession.
Other sessions were as compelling as they were wide-ranging. They varied from a talk on safeguarding and child protection with Christine Park, to understanding the NHS pension scheme by Wesleyan’s Michael Copeland.
On the first day of the show the busy agenda included talks on sustainable dentistry by Amy Reilly and Clyde Munro’s Fiona Wood; an infection control and decontamination update with Sarah Gourley; buying a dental practice featuring Samantha Hodgson and Ewan Miller; a discussion on the future of dentistry with David McColl, Douglas Thain and Atif Bashir; and personal and business financial planning with Jayne Clifford, Cameron Hughes and Matthew Mulholland.
A panel discussion was held involving Scottish Labour Party leader Anas Sarwar and a number of other senior figures from the sector including Brendan Murphy, David McColl and Douglas Thain from the SDA and Atif Bashir of the SDPO.
The session provided an opportunity for them to give their views on the future of dentistry and how these can and should be communicated to policymakers.
The second day included talks on the stress found in dentistry by Jeremy Cooper; how to add extra income from facial aesthetics with Harry Singh; selling a dental practice with Martyn Bradshaw and Michael Royden, sowing the seeds for growth featuring Ashley Latter; medical emergencies with Stuart Clark; and smile analysis with Elaine Halley.
Another highlight of the event was a conversation based on the financial implications of transitioning from the NHS into private practice, featuring Stephen Pryce from Chase de Vere. Stephen gave delegates an understanding of the existing benefits they received from the NHS and what moving to private practice would involve financially.
This was a particularly valuable discussion for dentists considering making the switch as it looked honestly at the pros and cons and provided invaluable information on the potential additional costs.
The session by Ashley Latter of Dental Sales Training explored ethical sales and communications. It pointed out that though most dentists spent their time on clinical skills and developing product knowledge, 85 per cent of their success was down to their communications ability.
It also talked about the importance of listening in order to understand, what to say to influence patients and the importance of building rapport. Doing these things, it argued, could help to increase case acceptance.
The show attracted some of the biggest company names in dentistry including Align Technology, Orascoptic, Clyde Munro, GC Dental, Planmeca and Henry Schein.
All in all, the event was a major success and reflected the positive energy and vibrancy of the profession as well as providing dentists and associated professionals with a wealth of knowledge and information.
The Scottish Dental Show will be back next year with new faces and new technologies and techniques to discuss and demonstrate. Those who attended this year’s enormously successful event will hardly be able to wait!
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