On 11 March 2017, the British Endodontic Society (BES) held its annual Spring Scientific Meeting at the Institution of Civil Engineers in London to a packed house of over 230 delegates including general and specialist practitioners, clinical academics and dental students. Together with those from the UK, delegates came from Dubai, France, Oman, Jordan, Hong Kong, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands and the USA.

The programme for the day consisted of keynote lectures from leading experts, the presidential ceremony, presentation of prizes and the prestigious lifetime contribution to the specialty award. There was also a trade exhibition and opportunities for networking.

Outgoing President Mike Wapplington handed over the Chains of Office to B. S. Chong, the Society's new President.

The first keynote speaker was Dr Hal Duncan from Trinity College, Dublin, whose presentation was entitled 'New visions for the vital pulp – do we need to keep digging a hole for ourselves?' This was followed by Dr Christos Boutsioukis from ACTA, The Netherlands, who spoke on 'Root canal irrigation – current focus and challenges'.

After a lunch break, Professor Josette Camilleri from Malta covered 'Current concepts and future directions in root canal obturation'.

The final presentation, 'Surgical endodontics – the limits of understanding and achievement' was given by Professor Bill Saunders, Dean of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh. Before starting his presentation, the Society surprised Professor Saunders by presenting him with a certificate of appreciation in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the specialty of endodontics.