If BDJ Team was a printed magazine, this month it would make a resounding thump on the doormat once pushed through your letterbox. As it is, being online only, our 19 fine features and articles (66 pages) don't weigh an ounce, and are ready and waiting for you to browse at your leisure on your tablet or phone. Welcome to a special, dental nurse themed issue of BDJ Team.

If you are one of a number of individuals having reservations about their career in dental nursing, you have come to the right place, as we have many brand new, inspiring examples of dental nurses with interesting, varied careers.

Louise Gallagher, Preetee Hylton (our cover star), Stacy and Jade Topping, Megan Viney, Josie Malone-Griffiths and Tony Benford all share a slice of their life: their career histories and pathways, their current roles and how they like to spend down-time - or up-time in the case of Josie, the lead singer in a band.

Dr Debbie Reed delves into the fascinating history of dental nursing - which goes back further than you might think. We hear from both the British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN) and the Society of British Dental Nurses (SBDN) on their recent activities and future plans. We meet three international dental nurses, often called dental assistants, overseas. The Dental Defence Union explain all things indemnity for dental nurses and my colleague Joe from BDJ Jobs reflects on those widespread rumours of a dental nurse recruitment crisis.

Have dental nurses left the profession in hordes this year? Rebecca Silver questions the notion that this year has seen the greatest number of departures in recent times, and the data upon which this is based.

Rebecca has also teamed up with dental therapist and reader panellist Cat Edney to look at the challenges of being a registered dental nurse generally. What are the challenges from your perspective? Send a letter or write an article - we would love to hear other views.

Crusading dental nurse Jo Dawson is going from strength to strength with her 'Raisin Awareness' campaign and becoming something of a whizz in social media and marketing in the process. If you would like to join her efforts, be sure to read her latest update.

To all of our many fantastic contributors and readers, have a wonderful winter and see you in January.

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Kate Quinlan

Editor

k.quinlan@nature.com