BDJ Open, the new peer-reviewed, open-access, online-only journal for international dental and oral health, will publish its first articles today.

The opening papers, which are free to access, are prime examples of the new journal's broad scope, covering topics such as tooth extraction education at European dental schools and fixed bridge stability measurement.

The first articles include an editorial by the Editor-in-Chief, Stephen Hancocks OBE, who comments: 'The launch of BDJ Open is an exciting new development for the British Dental Association, for our publishing partners of 18 years, Nature Publishing Group and, we earnestly believe, for the dental world in general. On top of extensive international visibility and competitive turnaround times, it will offer authors an enriched digital publishing experience with industry-leading features such as article-level metrics, including data from Altmetric, and enhanced article layout and navigation.'

David Bull, Editorial Director, Academic Journals at Nature Publishing Group, said: 'BDJ Open is an excellent addition to the already strong British Dental Association portfolio of publications. At a time when an increasing number of research funding bodies are mandating open standards, we're delighted to be offering the international dental research community a state-of-the-art open access experience.'

The journal will cover dental materials science, dental public health, restorative dentistry, periodontology, and more.

BDJ Open is open for submissions, with the competitive article processing charge set at £1,300. Visit www.nature.com/bdjopen/authors-and-referees/online-submission.