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The history of the British Dental Association Benevolent Fund: the post-war period - Part 4

British Dental Journal volume 235, pages 973–976 (2023)Cite this article

Abstract

The final of these four papers charting the history of the British Dental Association Benevolent Fund (‘the Charity') will examine the period from 1948 to the present, with attention given to the wider socio-economic environment. The Charity over this period has proved to be remarkably resilient and able to adapt structurally and technically to various challenges in the post-war period. Possible futures for the Charity will be examined and this paper will argue that the history of the Benevolent Fund suggests the way for dentistry in the UK to return to being a stable profession: a return to full self-regulation.

Key points

  • Post-war changes in registration and the creation of the NHS modernised the Charity but did not alter its core function.

  • The stability of the dental profession has been overturned by neoliberal market capitalism, but the Charity has proved resilient to it.

  • The collapse of NHS dentistry entails colleagues can no longer rely on the NHS pension scheme, marking a return of the precarity of old age.

  • The adaptation and resilience of the organisation over 140 years of change suggests a way forward for UK dentistry: a return to full self-regulation.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge with thanks the help and support of Helen Nield (of the BDA Library), Rachel Bairsto (of the BDA Museum), and Laura Hannon (Chief Executive of the Charity), the Vice-Presidents and former staff of the BDA Benevolent Fund in the preparation of this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. General Dental Practitioner, Manchester, United Kingdom

    John Ulahannan

  2. Retired General Dental Practitioner, Bexhill-on-Sea, United Kingdom

    Paul Hellyer

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  1. John Ulahannan
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John Ulahannan researched and drafted the paper. Paul Hellyer edited and checked the manuscript. The final version was agreed by both authors.

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Correspondence to John Ulahannan.

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Ulahannan, J., Hellyer, P. The history of the British Dental Association Benevolent Fund: the post-war period - Part 4. Br Dent J 235, 973–976 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-023-6560-8

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