Welcome all, to the June edition of BDJ Team.

Recently the national press reported on a story that got me hot and bothered under the skin, where an investigation by the BMJ discovered that 38 MPs had accepted tobacco industry hospitality worth around £60,000.

For the record, all of the hospitality received was properly declared and above board. It is not illegal for members of parliament or peers to accept gifts as long as they are declared. That is not this editor's bone of contention. I find it incredulous and morally irresponsible for MPs to be accepting hospitality from an industry that kills people. There are in the region of 100,000 deaths in the UK caused by smoking. For all these 38 MPs knew, some of those deaths could have been in their very own constituencies.

It therefore came as no surprise to learn that 20 of the 38 MPs voted against plain packaging when the vote took place in March. Although the BMJ report states ‘there is no evidence that the hospitality influenced voting behaviour', it does not take a genius to work out that having the ear of an MP is highly useful when it comes to discussing law. It would be good to know your thoughts on the matter, so email me at bdjteam@nature.com.

This month's edition features a Q&A session with Editor-in-Chief Dr Stephen Hancocks OBE looking at the most recent addition to the BDJ portfolio, BDJ Open. If you are a budding author, an accomplished writer or weighing up your submission options, Stephen will address some of the key questions you may have.

As the summer draws in and the weather begins to improve, Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation Dr Nigel Carter OBE discusses one of the more prominent topics – diet. The team's intervention from top to bottom is crucial in providing patients good advice, and Dr Carter talks us through some of the main issues.

You will also find Toothbeary owner and founder Nicole Sturzenbaum giving us her ten top tips for a child-friendly environment. Some excellent ideas and well worth a read!

Don't forget to complete your free 1-hour CPD too!