The BDA Conference 2017 at Manchester Central Convention Centre by Andrew Wallace, DentaltownUK honorary editor

The immediate buildup to the 2017 conference which returned to Manchester on the Bank Holiday weekend was of course overshadowed by the horrific attack in Manchester the Monday before.

Reassuringly, the BDA contacted us quickly to make sure we knew the event was going to go ahead, but with an increased level of security.

The event began with the standard hustle and bustle as the organisers and trade partners made the finishing touches and the usual social media platforms were awash with the updates and check-ins of members of our profession letting us know they were on their way.

Once everything was ready and the first delegates started to arrive, there was definitely a more sombre tone to the beginning of the meeting than in most other large dental conferences in deference to the recent attacks and those attending felt out how Manchester was coping.

At 11 a.m. the trade hall and lecture theatres all fell silent for one minute as a mark of respect and remembrance of the Manchester terror attack.

The conference properly started with the BDA AGM, followed by a huge variety of meetings with varying topics and formats. There were meetings that were purely part of the conference but many that could be attended just with a pass to the trade show, making it a difficult choice as to what to attend but with a large and varied trade show for everyone in the dental team.

There was a panel discussion on prognostic dilemmas in multidisciplinary dentistry and lectures on oral surgery, prosthodontics, career options for young dentists, tooth whitening, dental implants tooth wear, team development, practice management, endodontics, neurolinguistic programming, contract reform. Core CPD was covered as well with safeguarding and cross-infection control, and this was only Day 1! The same choice and wide array of topics continued for the next two days.

Aside from the formal conference schedule, much information was to be gained on the trade floor with many stands such as Colgate running short talks on the stands. Of course there also was the opportunity to network with colleagues over coffee in meeting areas, or even over a glass of wine at the end of the afternoon.

While many large dental meetings and trade events have come about over the last number of years, it seems the focus of the BDA remains a conference focused on education for the whole team.

The BDA conference had an app this year, and unlike some other conference apps I’ve used in the past, this worked very well, allowing me to easily plan my days, check in to chosen meetings and give instant feedback.

The difficulty comes in choosing which lectures or courses you want to see and sometimes they will inevitably clash.

Two of the highlights of the show did unfortunately clash: the panel discussion sessions on MI dentistry and treatment planning or decision making.

The exchange hall, which holds more than 1,000, was almost full for the great discussion on treatment planning from a group that included a consultant prosthodontist and GDPs of varying levels of experience.

The conference had its usual social events with the informal events—the young dentists spring ball and the BDA awards dinner, where dentists who’ve forwarded or given exceptional service to the profession are honoured.

Despite the horrid events that occurred in Manchester in the days running up the conference the mood was upbeat and positive, the meetings in the conference were well attended and the trade floor was bustling. Manchester was open for business and the dental profession were in the mood for learning and networking.

Watch my short video from Manchester here.