British Dental Association

64 Wimpole Street
London UK W1G 8YS
207-935-0875
bda.org

What do we do?

We are the voice of dentists and dental students in the UK. We bring dentists together, support our members through advice and education, and represent their interests. Here for members: As the trade union and professional body, we represent all fields of dentistry including general practice, community dental services, the armed forces, hospitals, academia, public health and research.

We are owned and run by our members and all our income is reinvested for the benefit of the profession.

What we believe: Dentists are critical to the health of the nation and we want to see better oral health for all. We stand up for dentists, so they can deliver the very best care for their patients.

What we want (our mission):

Promote the interests of our members

Advance the art, science and ethics of dentistry

Improve the nation’s oral health.

Who we are (our values):

As a professional body and trade union, our duty is to serve the needs of our members. We believe that together, we can achieve more than we could individually.

We are committed to:

Supporting our members throughout their professional lives

Using our influence for the benefit of members, the dental profession and patients

Sharing our collective knowledge and expertise

Placing members at the heart of everything we do

The principle that together, we are stronger.

By the mid 19th century there was no unity, organisation or code of ethics for the dental profession. The number of dentists had increased dramatically but there was no control to prevent malpractice and incompetence.

By the 1870s leading dentists including Sir John Tomes and Sir Edwin Saunders (one of Queen Victoria’s dentists) formed the Dental Reform Committee. This Committee campaigned successfully for the first legislation to regulate dentistry.

The Dental Reform Committee also called for a nationwide meeting to establish the BDA in 1879. Finally established in 1880 the BDA elected Sir John Tomes as its first President. Much of the BDA’s early work involved prosecuting dentists in breach of the Dentists Act.

The Dentists Act of 1921 created the Dental Board of the UK to administer the Dentists Register. Thus the BDA was freed from legislation, and rapidly became the leading consultative body and champion for the dental profession – the role of the BDA today.

Map of British Dental Association 64 Wimpole Street, London UK W1G 8YS

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