Sir, successful outcomes in dentistry, law and architecture are frequently achieved by balancing the proportions and the influences of competing parts and contributing parties. The golden ratio in dentistry and the scales of justice in law serve to guide and emphasise this.

In 1964, the architect Sir Denys Lasdun did not ask physicians what they wanted, rather, what they did.1 Their partnership created one of London's most important post war buildings for the Royal College of Physicians in Regent's Park, today a Grade 1 Listed masterpiece.2A contemporary influence of Lasdun was the architectural polymath Sir Hugh Casson. In partnership with Neville Conder and David Hindley-Smith (the first GDC Registrar), three years after the 1956 Act enabled dentistry to be its own master, their building was ready. The influences of Sir Basil Spence and Le Corbusier could be seen throughout, their fittings and furniture modernist and iconic.

With his own hands, Casson purposefully carved a pattern into the foundry sands, pouring the iron to cast the doors to 37 Wimpole Street.3 Playfully inspired by the structure of hydroxyapatite, a hexagonal Hearing Chamber for dentists arose in Marylebone's medical heart, solemn judicial function following successful concrete form. For over 50 years, judgements were delivered beyond any reasonable doubt, the sincerity of proceedings reflected in Casson's murals and the portraits of GDC presidents, the democratically elected dental leaders.

The sentiment and symbolism both of and within this award winning building was not lost on those appointed to take control and implement the 2008 Health and Social Care Act, which then lowered to a civil standard the level proving misconduct and with that, a striking rise in disciplinary cases followed. By 2014, Casson's work was destined for destruction in the hands of an executive who demanded, then got what they wanted, with little justification for what they did.

Their designers tore the building's heart out, but when its presidents' portraits were taken down, its soul was lost. Covered in paint, cement-dust, their frames twisted and broken, they were rescued, gathered up and placed in the BDA museum.4 Coming to learn of their value, the GDC executive enforced copyright restrictions and their loan in perpetuity.5

The destruction of a building destined to achieve a listing like Lasdun's didn't halt the industrial level of hearings taking place in external processing facilities. In temporary surroundings bereft of that gravitas conferred by Casson, the task of balancing probabilities would be problematic. In 2020, hearings returned to Wimpole Street and committees could more confidently measure rational decisions balancing them against persuasive opinion. While the authority of the original building is gone, we should remember that while it stood, huge changes were made to the regulation of dentistry. Historically those times proved to be professionally significant. We believe the confluence of dentistry, law and architecture to be an important one. In 1959 Casson successfully united two professions. Given today's relationship between dentistry and its regulator, further consideration of that period is surely needed.