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A chance conversation at the British Dental Journal stand at an international meeting led to the idea of using the letters 'B' ,'D' and 'J' in different formats for the Journal covers. Each cover would feature the letters in a different media or setting. The idea gained momentum and in December 2015 the first pictures were taken. There were so many ideas for different pictures and these had to be narrowed down to a final 12, one for each cover in volume 221.
The picture on the front cover of this issue was taken in the photographer's garden on the patio in order to set up a contrast between the long shadows with the lines and texture of the paving stones. The papier mache BDJ letters were ideal for generating the shadows made by the setting sun.
Ian Brack was appointed Chief Executive of the General Dental Council (GDC) in May this year, after a period as Interim Chief Executive starting in January. Prior to joining the regulator, he was Chief Executive at the Office for Legal Complaints. He also led the Olympic Lottery Distributor where he oversaw substantial grant expenditure, including the multi million pound grant for the Paralympics.