The 31st annual British Orthodontic Conference (BOC) organised by the British Orthodontic Society (BOS) took place between 27 and 29 September 2018. The conference was held in London for the first time at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre.

Orthodontics 360° was the theme set for the conference, with strong emphasis on all aspects to orthodontics and interdisciplinary care.

The conference was opened by Richard Jones, Chair of BOC 2018. The main scientific programme started with University Teachers Group research sessions, involving passionate orthodontic StRs (Specialty Training Registrars) showcasing their involvement in the latest orthodontic research and technological advances.

Martyn Cobourne, Professor of Orthodontics, gave the Chapman Prize 2018 presentation about the impact of obesity on orthodontic tooth movements in adolescents.

Padhraig Fleming, a specialist in orthodontics and BDJ Associate Editor, gave an insightful presentation on high-quality orthodontic evidence levels and mechanisms of accelerating tooth movements, while Kevin O'Brien, Professor of Orthodontics, gave a refreshing talk on social media and orthodontics.

In parallel to the main scientific programme, NHS Commissioning series were simultaneously running throughout the day, covering primary contracts and updates from NHSBSA Dental Services.

The second day was interdisciplinary focused. Sarah Good kicked off the day by discussing the orthodontic-periodontal interface, while Raman Aulakh talked about adult orthodontics and aesthetic dentistry.

The session also involved talks regarding classifications and orthodontic handling of TMD (temporomandibular disorder) patients, aesthetic Smile Design, and orthognathic surgery.

Trauma and orthodontics were discussed by Nicola Atack and Helen Rodd, Professor of Paediatric Dentistry. Jonathan Sandler, Professor of Orthodontics, concluded the day by discussing malocclusions and periodontal disease and the role of the orthodontist.

The third day saw a variety of Academic Rising Stars and Clinical Pearls presentations.

The day held the exciting new addition to the conference – the OrthoTED session (Technology, Education and Design). OrthoTEDs offered a variety of 20-minute presentations that aimed to improve the education and practice of orthodontics. Prizes and acknowledgement were announced. A member of the BOS's Education Committee, David Waring was announced as BOC 2019 Chairman.

This year, the BOC has introduced new catch-up sessions in which video recordings of many presentations were shown at a later time during the conference for those who were unable to attend the live sessions.

I had a poster presentation at the conference and had real pleasure meeting inspirational leaders of the orthodontic world. Overall, I found this year's conference to be well structured and very informative.

Details of BOC 2019 Glasgow (19-21 September 2019) can be found at https://www.bos.org.uk/News-and-Events/Events-Meetings.

By Fahad Alawsi, DCT2 Paediatric Dentistry/Orthodontics University Dental Hospital of Manchester, OMFS/SCD/Restorative Dentistry Royal Preston Hospital