Cottrell Prize winner

The Cottrell Prize is awarded to members who have made a significant contribution to general dental practice. Shelagh, past President from 1991-1993, was a founder member of the Faculty of General Dental Practitioners (UK).

Above: Shelagh Farrell receiving the Cottrell Prize from the President of the British Society for General Dental Surgery, Hans Kurer.

Representative Body

The British Dental Association's Representative Board has been replaced by the Representative Body which was recently elected on 17 November 1999. The Body's task will be to determine BDA policy and elect an Executive Board which will then become the BDA's Board of Directors who will administer the affairs of the Association. The change, a result of two years work by the Board, has been brought about to allow better decision making and quicker responses.

Chairman of the Representative Board 1997-99, John Phipps, said, 'The changes are not just words but are the spirit of change that was required to make the Association a vital force in the next millennium.'

Society of Authors Medical Book Prize

The annual Society of Authors Medical Book Prize awards were made at the Royal Society of Medicine in October. Through the efforts of Keith Isaacson, the dental member on the Society of Authors committee, Colgate Palmolive Ltd has donated a prize of £500 specifically for dental books.

Peter Ward Booth receiving the prize from Clare Francis on behalf of his colleagues.

The past Chairman of the Society - author and transatlantic yachtswoman - Clare Francis presented the prizes. The winning dental entry was 'Maxillofacial Surgery' and was jointly edited by Peter Ward booth, consultant maxillofacial surgeon at Queen Victoria Hospital East Grinstead, Professor Stephen Schendel from Stanford University and Professor Jarg-Erich Hausamen of Hanover.

Ionising regulations

Regulations to protect workers and others against exposure to ionising radiation have been laid before Parliament by Lord Whitty, Minister with responsibility for health and safety.

The Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999 (IRR99) came into force on 1 January 2000 and will implement most of the revised Basic Safety Standards Directive (96/29/Eurotom) and replace the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1985 (IRR85).

The most important changes include:

  • A new requirement for employers to be authorised before they use accelerators or X-ray sets for certain specified purposes;

  • The introduction of Health and Safety Executive (HSE) criteria of competence for individuals or organisations wishing to act as radiation protection advisers (RPAs);

  • A new requirement for employers to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment before they first start work activities with ionising radiation;

  • Enhanced requirements for restricting exposure as far as reasonably practiceable;

  • Revised dose limits; and

  • More flexibility in the designation of controlled and supervised areas.

The Health and Safety Commission will be approving a Code of Practice in support of IRR99, which will be published, together with the Regulations and non-statutory guidance, early in the New Year.

Richard Walker

Professor Richard (Dick) Walker has joined the Eastman/University College London, as Centre Director of ICED (International Centre for Excellence in Dentistry).

He has spent nine years in the University of Hong Kong, where he became Head of the department of Conservative Dentistry and Sub-Dean, Faculty of Dentistry, and then latterly became Professor of Endodontics in Malaysia.

Professor Walker has always had a strong interest in promoting the interests of practical dentistry through relevant continuing professional development (CPD), and he is now responsible for that department at the Eastman.