I am excited to publish an original piece of research written by Laura Cox (pictured, below) in this issue of BDJ Team. An experienced dental nurse, Laura graduated from the BSc (Hons) Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy course at the University of Portsmouth in 2016. Laura's article on alternative methods of gag reflex control was inspired by the time she spent working with a dentist who provided acupuncture. Thank you to Laura and her supervisor, Joanne Brindley, for sharing her work with BDJ Team readers.

If you are a DCP involved with research and would like to share your findings with the wider dental community, I would be delighted to consider your article submission. Please email me at k.quinlan@nature.com.

We are also lucky enough to continue to share research from our flagship publication, the BDJ, in BDJ Team. This April we look at managing dental patients with rheumatoid arthritis, a common chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder which affects the joints and can affect organs including the heart and lungs.

Dental graduate and freelance journalist Jess Standley has written this month's verifiable CPD article: an introduction to crowns. Jess skilfully takes us through the stages of restoring a patient's tooth with a crown, from planning to prep to placement, taking into account the importance of the roles of dental nurse and dental technician.

Our ever popular DCPs' lives this issue are Jessica Moss, Head Dental Nurse in a general practice, and Nicola Sherlock, a Dental Nurse Team Leader in the CDS.

If you would like to put yourself, or your dental team, in the spotlight, let me know.