When was the last time you looked at your practice's equality and diversity policy? That's if you have one. The themes of equality, diversity and inclusion have never been so topical in society as in the last few years. I asked Priya Sharma, who has a wide range of experience in dental practice management, regulation and compliance, to explore these themes and what they mean for dentistry and your practice - including the practical application of your equality and diversity policy. Read Priya's article in this issue.

I also put a question to the reader panel: Have you ever been discriminated against in your professional career? A selection of responses to this sensitive and sometimes controversial topic are included in this issue. If you would like to share an experience of your own, do email me or send a private Facebook message.

This month Zoe Holt, a mouth care dental nurse, writes a fascinating account of the guidance she helped develop for pressure sores in COVID-19 patients placed in the prone position. Cat Edney explains how being empathetic can help dental professionals to make breakthroughs with patients' oral health. Foundation dentist Farah Elnaqa describes a first encounter with a cancerous ulcer in a patient's mouth that she will remember for the rest of her career. And Ammar Ahmed Zaki details the results of an audit on periodontal disease management.

Also this April, Fiona Ellwood BEM looks at how to approach academic writing. If you are currently a student in higher education, or involved in research or academic writing otherwise, I would like to draw your attention to a special DCP research issue I have planned for September. The deadline for submissions is early July - contact me for more information.

As for our CPD article this month, we look at endodontics: the basics. I plan to follow up this article with other 'introduction to' style articles, so look out for those in coming issues.

We also catch up with dental nurse Jo Dawson's exciting Raisin Campaign! Will your practice get involved?

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Kate Quinlan

Editor

k.quinlan@nature.com