Patient care and the advancement of knowledge are exponentially enhanced when clinicians, healthcare professionals and researchers share information and work together. A key aim of the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry's (BSPD's) annual conference is to showcase such collaborations as well as to celebrate the creativity which happens to be synonymous with the host City of Manchester.

The conference will take place on 19-22 September 2017 at the Lowry Arts and Events Centre in Salford Quays. The organising committee has lined up a programme of speakers who will describe scientific developments resulting from trials or inter-hospital collaborations they are involved in. A key theme is children with complex needs for whom collaborative working across medicine and dentistry is essential.

Professor Kevin O'Brien, Director of the Healing Foundation, will launch the conference with a scene-setting talk called 'Working together to keep it simple – complex problems in complex children'. The two presentations which follow have caries as a theme – the first from the perspective of the Northern Alliance collaboration given jointly by Dr Sondos Albadri and Yang See Chau, and the next from Professor Marie Therese Hosey who will discuss creative approaches to reducing the burden of the disease.

Thursday morning will start with three sessions from eminent clinicians working at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital: Professor Zulf Mughal, Lead of the Paediatric Metabolic Bone Service, Dr Simon Jones consultant in inherited metabolic diseases and Dr Stephen Hughes, consultant paediatric immunologist.

The final morning of the conference will showcase the work that's going on to improve children's oral health both nationally and locally and will include a session with three of the UK's four Chief Dental Officers.

Claire Stevens, the incoming President of BSPD, commented: 'What we hope is that all our delegates will experience the buzz of being in Manchester and hearing first class speakers.

'It's the first time in 20 years that the BSPD conference has come back to Manchester and, as an organising committee, we plan to showcase both a great city and some very exciting creative collaborations.'