GDPUK, the online dentistry communication hub, is celebrating its 15th birthday. Thousands of registered users visit the site at all hours to share their views on a whole host of subjects.

GDPUK began in 1997 after Tony Jacobs wrote a letter to the BDJ1 inviting dentists interested in creating a forum to get in touch. The worldwide web was only six years old and sharing information online was still in its infancy. Nevertheless, said Tony, he could see that it was possible for dentists to form an electronic community. 'It doesn't matter whether you are in a practice in Aberdeen or Cornwall, you share the same concerns and interests.'

Initially, information was shared via email, with Tony sending out one bulk email to all registered users. GDPUK later became a Yahoo Group.

The move to becoming an independent gdpuk.com involved a long gestation period. Tony employed several different developers, none of whom were able to supply exactly what he wanted. Eventually, Steve Van Russelt, a practising dentist, found a way to amalgamate several different bits of software to make one website. Steve is now the webmaster and Tony remains the administrator and moderator.

GDPUK has 4,500 registered users who, in any one month, make 17,000 unique visits to the site. For some years, it has also run a news page.