Trade Union membership and support
Collective representation
Representation of the profession in its dealings with governments and employing authorities, including:
- Negotiating terms and conditions of service
- Lobbying of politicians on legislation affecting dentists as business people and clinicians
- Campaigning and lobbying on diverse issues including contract pilots, tooth whitening, DFT places, seniority pay and amalgam
- Lobbying on commissioning and contract arrangements
- Lobbying the European commission and parliament
- Championing high standards and promoting policies that benefit dental practice and dental care
- Promoting the role of evidence-based dental care.
Associate contract checking service
- Detailed written feedback for associates on their associate contracts, delivered via e-mail.
Mediation
- Free mediation on associateship disputes between members.
Services for salaried members
Terms and conditions of service
One-to-one advice, delivered via phone or email by your Employment Relations Officer (ERO):
- Advice on all employment terms and conditions
- Defence against disciplinary action
- Defence against grievance or bullying and harassment claims
- Capability proceedings
- Redundancy
- Dismissals (Employment Tribunals and legal advice).
Day-to-day matters
One-to-one advice from your ERO regarding day-to-day problems in your workplace, delivered via phone or email:
- Terms and conditions of service
- Pay scales
- Contract checking
- Annual leave, sickness and maternity/paternity/adoption pay and entitlements
- Employer proposals for changing working practices
- Part-time working
- Adverse weather conditions.
Acting on your behalf
Representation and support when you need it:
Routine matters:
- Increments and competency payments
- Underpayments and overpayments
- Leave entitlement disputes
- Return-to-work arrangements
- Minor employment disputes
- Early severance agreements.
Internal grievances or complaints to secure improvements in terms and conditions:
- Contact and meetings with HR or managers
- Pay negotiations
- Disputed places of work, working patterns
- Personal effects of organisational change
- Redundancy or redeployment due to organisational change, including TUPE
- Phased return to work
- How to handle minor grievances
- Appeals against adverse findings in any procedure.
Formal representation for serious matters:
- Bullying and harassment
- Disciplinary action
- Capability procedures
- Disputed redundancy
- Serious grievances against members
- Redeployment due to disability
- Contract termination.
Provision of advice and representation is subject to the Association's 'Policy on the provision of support for salaried members', which can be found here
Online services
Dedicated resources for salaried members as described below.
Branches and Sections
Membership of a Branch
The BDA has an active network of 21 branches, many divided into sections, ensuring local representation and the ability for members to network at a local level. Upon joining the BDA, you will be automatically become a member of your local branch. Offerings vary, but can include:
- Varied programmes of clinical and social events
- Ability to earn CPD
- Networking opportunities
- Young Dentists Groups
- Access to the BDA Golf Society.
Publications - BDJ Portfolio
The British Dental Journal (BDJ)
The BDJ is the official journal of the BDA and aims to inform readers of ideas, opinions, developments and key issues in dentistry - clinical, practical and scientific - stimulating interest, debate and discussion. All papers published in the BDJ are subject to rigorous peer review.
- The BDJ delivered free of charge to one UK address 24 times per year.
- Full access to the BDJ website, including abstracts and full text of all BDJ articles published since 1999.
BDJ In Practice
BDJ In Practice is a monthly publication that covers dental industry news stories, political hot topics and practical practice advice.
- BDJ In Practice delivered free of charge to one UK address 12 times per year.
- Online access to BDJ In Practice, including back issues going back to 2010.
BDJ Open
BDJ Open is our open-access, online-only journal, publishing dental and oral health research across all disciplines.
It is open to all – whether authors or researchers.
BDJ Team
This online magazine is dedicated to the whole dental team, with content for dental hygienists, dental therapists, dental nurses, dental technicians, orthodontic therapists and practice managers.
It has a broad spectrum of articles, and includes interviews, core CPD topics, clinical research, advice, letters, news and information on dental products.
Evidence-Based Dentistry
This quarterly publication aims to bridge the gap between research and practice, alerting clinicians to important advances in dental practice and its specialist areas. It presents and evaluates the best available evidence on the latest developments in oral health by condensing original papers and publications into accessible expert summaries.
Online services
Advice, support and information
The BDA website is the most comprehensive dental site in the UK, and provides a wealth of advice, support and information to members.
- Access to advice, support and information
- Constantly updated news on dental matters
- The ability to download BDA advice in PDF format
- Online control over your membership profile and preferences
- The ability to buy BDA books and products online and book many BDA events.
Access to wider resources
BDA Good Practice
BDA Good Practice is the leading quality assurance programme for UK dental practices.
Online access to practice self-assessment, which outlines the legal and professional requirements that must be met to gain membership of the Scheme
- Guidance on what needs to be done to meet the individual requirements
- Access to BDA advice publications for further information
- Online application to join the Scheme
iLearn
- Free webcast access to the 2017 core CPD lecture package.
Careers and professional development
BDA CPD Hub
The BDA's CPD system offers members the ability both to earn verifiable CPD and also record and manage all CPD activity in one central location.
- Access to BDA CPD 'Hub' system
- Earn up to 48 hours of verifiable CPD per year from the BDJ
- Earn up to 12 hours of verifiable CPD per year from BDJ In Practice
- Record, track and manage all CPD, wherever earned.
BDJ Jobs website
A fully searchable online database of job and classified ads from the BDJ.
- Unlimited online access to BDJ Jobs.
Library
Access to the library
The BDA boasts Europe's most comprehensive dental library. Members can enjoy:
- Free Wi-Fi
- Photocopying facilities
- A relaxing space to work in
- Face-to-face assistance from experienced library professionals.
Borrowing rights
- Up to eight items may be borrowed at any one time
- Items are loaned for one month
- Items can be renewed as long as another member has not reserved them.
Postal loan service
- Requested items posted free of charge within the UK
- Items may be returned in person to the Library or to the 'drop box' outside the building when closed
- Items may also be returned via post at the member's expense.
Specialist subject bundles service
- Topic collections comprising a Medline search, Cochrane reviews, guidelines, policy documents, recent BDJ articles, etc.
- Bundles can be posted or emailed on request and may take a week to prepare.
Literature search service
Library staff will search Medline, Cochrane and various other online sources for articles and/or details of guidelines/policy documents.
- Results emailed or posted back within two working days
- Each Medline search will contain:
- search strategy used (to demonstrate how the search was carried out)
- list of article references along with abstracts
- availability of each journal in the library
- Cochrane reviews plus electronic copies of guidelines/policy documents will be supplied where possible and references to them where not
- Access to Ovid Medline is also provided for members to carry out their own searches.
Ebooks
The Library offers a catalogue of over 400 ebooks, accessible via our website.
- Keep your downloaded e-book for one week
- Print up to one chapter of the book
- Download the book again if you want to store it for longer
- Some (but not all) e-books can be downloaded to iPhone or iPad.
Museum
The BDA Museum has the largest collection of material relating to the history of dentistry in the UK and aims to bring out the relevance of the past, present and future of dentistry, to inspire and educate existing and new audiences and to influence the perception of the science, practice and social impact of dentistry.
Discounts and preferential rates
Specialist insurance and financial services
This service (arranged through Lloyd & Whyte Ltd and Lloyd & Whyte (Financial Services) Ltd), offers preferential rates for members on specialist insurance and financial services with the aim of assisting access to solutions for the majority of members' insurance and financial services requirements, through a single, specialist provider, including:
- Practice insurance
- Credit and debit card processing
- Practice overheads insurance
- Business protection
- Commercial mortgages
- Home insurance
- Income protection
- Critical illness
- Retirement planning
- Travel insurance
- Investment services
- Mortgage services
- Independent financial review
- Property owners' insurance
- Graduate loans.
Discounts on BDA books, products and events
Save up to 50% on BDJ books and BDA products:
- Free P&P on all orders from BDA Shop
- Save up to 20% on dental textbooks via BDA Bookclub
- Save over 20% on BDA Seminars
- Save over 25% on BDA Training Essentials courses
Membership of the BDA Benevolent Fund
All BDA members automatically become members of the Benevolent Fund upon joining the BDA. Members oversee the charity and have the responsibility and authority to exercise voting rights at the Annual General Meeting or other Extraordinary General Meeting. Members elect the Board of Trustees who oversee the charity on their behalf.