Dentistry Show London 2022 was a perfect demonstration of the commitment and passion the dental profession has for education and development. The event welcomed thousands of delegates through the doors, offering a comprehensive CPD programme alongside hands-on workshops and a bustling trade floor. The show had everything that professionals needed to grow as individuals and businesses.

For dentists, there were several theatres to choose from across the two days, with an array of lectures covering a vast range of relevant topics. Within the Clinical Excellence Theatre, for example, delegates were able to explore different educational pathways, the benefits of mentoring, minimally invasive techniques and optimising CBCT capabilities. Dr Maria Lessani’s session discussing the challenges in endodontics proved a particular hit. She offered a wealth of practical advice and expert insights to help clinicians improve their endodontic diagnoses, including the use of light, thermal testing and combined imaging techniques.

Delegate, Dr Julie Mahmoud of Perfect Smile Chiswick, commented:

“Dr Lessani was a very good speaker. The session covered everything, which was extremely helpful – I haven’t done endodontics since lockdown so it provided a good recap. This show offers a great opportunity to keep learning and we always encourage our whole team to attend.”

Other sessions that drew a crowd included Dr Rupert Austin’s lecture on periodontal health considerations in the aesthetic zone, which provided guidance on managing periodontal pockets and marginal inflammation, and Dr Naeem Adam’s session exploring orthodontic pitfalls. He shared interesting cases to demonstrate potential areas of concern and to help delegates avoid issues in their own practice.

About the latter session, attendee Dr Laura Zhang from Clover House Harrogate, said:

“The speaker was very easy to understand and engaging. The lecture was very informative and I found the content useful as many things discussed are common issues.”

Thank you to Education Partner, College of General Dentistry and Sponsor, J&J Makers of Listerine for your support of the Clinical Excellence Theatre.

Staying with the clinical theme, the Private & Aesthetic Dentistry Zone offered subjects more focused on cosmetic areas of dentistry. For instance, Katie Emberley and Annette Matthews presented a “Gateway to aesthetics”, discussing the continued merging of the cosmetic and dental professions, as well as the many advantages this brings patients. They discussed motivations for growth in the field, as well as the relatively simple transition for dentists to move into aesthetics, and even how the skills of dental therapists could be fully utilised to facilitate business development.

Dr Teki Sowdani’s session on keeping patients connected was equally well received, with delegates keen to understand how remote monitoring technology could improve their patient care and compliance – as well as their medicolegal protection.

Immediately after the session, Dr Nataliia Lutsenko commented:

“The speaker was clearly very confident and I would like to thank them for sharing new tools to get the correct pictures for cases. The show in general has been well organised – I will certainly be attending again next year.”

Among the many other sessions of note across the two-day programme was professor Tim Newton’s session on “Mental health wellness in dentistry” in the Enhanced CPD Theatre. Especially topical given the increased pressure that all dentists have been facing, Tim explored potential sources of stress for all members of the dental team and the impact these could have on patient care. He offered some coping mechanisms to help delegates avoid burnout without forming habits that could be detrimental to their health. Also in the Enhanced CPD Theatre, engaging speakers covered infection control protocols for cleaning handpieces, oral cancer, creating a positive patient safety culture and legal and ethical topics.

For clinicians looking to enhance their non-clinical skills, the Compliance Clinic provided an opportunity to reflect on further legal and ethical issues, CQC requirements and the new NHS cleaning standards. Dr Wendy Thompson’s session offering an update in antimicrobial prescribing in dentistry was also a hit. The “cornerstone of modern medicine”, Wendy explored why antibiotics are so important in certain situations and how we can care for these patients without facilitating antimicrobial resistance in the years to come. Delegates attending the session described the speaker as “very good”providing a session that offered “broad, good quality content”.

Aside from the comprehensive educational programme, Dentistry Show London offered a busy trade floor with an array of exhibitors showcasing their latest products, technologies and services. It was the ideal platform for networking and creating new connections with both individuals and businesses to establish mutually beneficial relationships for the future. Given the only recent return to in-person events, this was clearly appreciated by all in attendance.

Dr Kunal Shah of LeoDental said:

“I found this show excellent for networking – I have had many meetings with companies and found it very useful. It’s been a very productive couple of days and I would definitely look to come again next year!”