With this year's theme of ‘It's the Business!', the Oral Health Conference (OHC), the flagship annual event hosted by the British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy (BSDHT), is set to be the Society's best attended conference to date.

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We at the British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy (BSDHT) are passionate about oral health and put our heart and soul into delivering an extremely high standard of education dedicated to support both BSDHT members and the wider oral health community, uniting everyone in their efforts to provide the best standard of care for patients.

Bearing all of this in mind, this year's OHC, taking place in Manchester on 25 and 26 November, is designed to meet the needs of everyone attending, offering support, advice and two full days of a high standard of clinical education alongside plenty of chances to network with friends and colleagues, as well as clinical and industry experts.

Support and empowerment

The BSDHT and OHC exist for many reasons, but one of our main aims is to provide dental hygienists, dental therapists and students in these fields with a place to feel supported and empowered to approach the months and year ahead happily and enthusiastically.

There is nothing better than seeing friendly faces to stave off the possibility of isolation and to catch up on the latest news, all the while meeting the incredibly important requirements of the General Dental Council's lifelong learning scheme.

A programme designed for you!

With a combination of exciting keynote speakers, multi-stream parallel sessions and hands-on workshops, the OHC programme is designed so you can plan your attendance to suit your individual learning needs.

There is nothing better than seeing friendly faces to stave off the possibility of isolation and to catch up on the latest news.

Why not start your Friday with a breakfast workshop, focusing on the ‘The oral microbiome - what is it and why is it so important?' with EMS' Victoria Sampson? Similarly, exciting opportunities are available early on Saturday: either a coaching and mentoring session, or join Jane Portas on the subject of ‘6 moments that matter - how to secure your financial future'.

Then, throughout the two days, there are a number of motivating and energising options, including:

  • Keynote address: Periodontal health - perception vs reality by Peter Clarke, Colgate

  • Extra-oral examinations demystified - hands-on by Joss Harding/Alison Brown

  • Team-working in practice by Bertie Napier, British Association of Private Dentistry

  • Setting up practice by Yvonne Wood

  • Keynote address: Tackling the menopause in dentistry by Joseph Bell, GSK

  • Smoking and vaping - what's new and should we care? by Elaine Tilling, TePe Oral Hygiene Products Ltd

  • An update on the management and prevalence of medical emergency events in primary dental care by Melissa Sin, Newcastle School of Dental Sciences

  • Becoming an independent hygienist - my journey by Diane Washington, Mint Dental Hygiene, with Ben Atkins

  • Top tips for alginate impression taking by Diane Rochford, BSDHT

  • Time to take gingivitis seriously - why we got it wrong for the last 50 years by Professor Iain Chapple, Johnson & Johnson Ltd.

Plus, there will be award and poster presentations and, in addition to the main programme, some of our exhibitors will be running on-stand activities to offer further value to your time at the conference.

This is just a snapshot of what is happening over the two days, so simply visit https://www.bsdht.org.uk/ohc-2022/ to get the inside scoop on everything you can look forward to, and let's get ready for the event of the year!