And just like that, LDC Conference 2024 has passed. It has been a privilege to chair this year and host the conference in beautiful Brighton. Thank you all for attending, participating, and bringing such warmth and joyfulness.

I am grateful for the support from the Agenda Committee, BDA, GDPC, my own LDC, and all of you.

The theme was exploring what good looks like, with reflections on current realities and how we got here. With insights from the GDPC chair, the outgoing health select committee chair, and the four devolved nations.

We discussed young dentists' concerns, patient needs, and the call to lead the prevention revolution. We explored sustainability, enabling us to start that audit cycle today. We explored the future, and we were invited to be part of the solution through the BDJ portfolio's role.

We addressed all 34 motions efficiently, highlighting our ability as GDPs to overcome time pressures.

I can hardly believe that my twelve months as Conference Chair is now over – time has passed very quickly.

I want to extend my deepest gratitude to everyone who attended the event and thank Conference for electing me as its Chair.

When I wrote my welcome blog back in May I expressed the hope that delegates’ expectations as to the venue would be exceeded and I am delighted to hear that North Yorkshire’s scenery, history, food and of course its people have woven the usual magic!

I was delighted to see so many dentists new to LDCs attending the event and I hope that we will have inspired the next generation to continue to develop Conference year on year. My theme for conference was built around getting all those involved under the same roof so that the foundations of a collaborative framework could be built upon. I believe that was achieved.

As I have thought throughout, we must fight for NHS dental services to be better and it was great to see that same message coming through in so many of the presentations. I am very grateful to all our invited speakers for their contributions.

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to Harrogate for this year’s Annual Conference of Local Dental Committees. We are being hosted by the Majestic Hotel which I hope exceeds your expectations. I have to be honest it wasn’t my first choice as I would have liked to welcome you to my home city of York but truth be told there are just too many of us to fit any hotel there! I wanted as much as possible an “all under one roof” event and The Majestic fitted that bill.

Still, you have to admit anywhere in North Yorkshire is impressive, that includes the scenery, the history, the food and drink (and I include wine as we have several vineyards in the county) and of course the people.

Our profession has a very intimate connection with people and that will continue despite rapid advancement of A.I. There is a trust in the patient / dentist relationship that I believe is unique to us, and only those that have worked in it appreciate the depth of that bond. The government certainly doesn’t appreciate it, but then again do they appreciate anything to do with dentistry? Well maybe they will in the upcoming General Election when they do their door-to-door campaigning and find our loyal patients demand a better NHS dental service!

Personally, I have devoted my entire career to providing NHS dental care and it has given me a great deal of satisfaction, but would I choose the same path again should I be turning the clock back 30 years? I don’t think I would, and I don’t blame colleagues for taking the private option. We are health care professionals, but we cannot provide that healthcare if the business model in the NHS is forcing businesses to close. We must fight for NHS dental services to be better.

I hope by the end of this conference we will have inspired the next generation of younger dentists to continue the good fight. If we sit back and resign ourselves then that is what will happen. The BDA and LDCs have kept NHS dentistry in the limelight and without the negative backlash that the government expected. The next 12-18 months I believe will be the make or break of NHS dentistry …. but what do I know? (not a lot according to my wife and kids!). What I do know is without it the country, and society as a whole, will be much worse off.

DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel & Spa  
Thursday 8 – Friday 9 June 2023

I am looking forward to welcoming you to the 2023 LDC Conference at the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate. Being born (South Yorkshire), educated (West Yorkshire) and live and work (North Yorkshire) the conference had to be in Yorkshire! Hardly well-travelled I hear you say, but when Yorkshire is so perfect why go anywhere else?

We return to a two-day format this year, running conference from lunchtime to lunchtime with the formal dinner in-between. The event provides an opportunity to get reacquainted, welcome newcomers to the LDC community and at the dinner celebrate our Unsung Heroes.

Conference will officially commence at 13:30 on the Thursday and conclude at 13:00 on the Friday (with lunch available either side).

We all appreciate how invaluable face-to-face interaction is but acknowledging that some may be prevented from attending in person, it will be possible to view and listen in to discussions taking place on the main stage via livestream link. Please note that virtual attendees will not be able to participate in debate, present or respond to motions, and the dynamic and interactive nature of the conference does require those selected by their LDCs as Representatives to attend in person. This will ensure they can debate and challenge, agree and disagree, and have the voice of the LDC heard.

I’m sure you will join me in thanking Dan who had the unenviable job of chairing the first in person conference since 2019. Obviously with the threat that the conference might return to a virtual one at short notice it had to be planned in such a way that could allow that to happen. This took some amazing work behind the scenes in particular from Fiona Feltham and Alex Cenic as well as many others at the BDA. Along with my colleagues on the agenda committee.
Details of motions passed at the 2022 Conference can be found here, along with election results.

Click here to access Conference footage and here for copies of speakers’ presentations.

Congratulations to the following colleagues who were elected to positions:
• Agi Tarnowski (Chair-elect)
• Peter Hodgkinson (Honorary Treasurer)
• Jonathan Randall and Martin Dyer (Honorary Auditors)
• Stuart Allan (Conference Representative to the GDPC)
• Judith Husband (Member to Conference Agenda Committee)
• Jonathan Randall (Member to British Dental Guild Board of Managers)

I would like to think that a virtual LDC conference is a thing of the past and with that in mind I would like to invite you to 2023 LDC Conference at the Majestic hotel in Harrogate.
Being born (South Yorkshire), educated (West Yorkshire) and live and work (North Yorkshire) the conference had to be in Yorkshire!
Hardly well-travelled I hear you say, but when Yorkshire is so perfect why go anywhere else? You’ll be welcomed with open arms to 2023 Conference where this time we hope to have some more input from those that should have been there in Wales. Here’s hoping anyway as I know Dan did his upmost in that respect.
As NHS dentistry is becoming ever more a political issue every day then maybe those that can steer the direction of travel will see the need to attend this highly influential event.
Registration for the event will open in early February with a closing date for registrations, motions and nominations set for early April. Please check back for updates, but for now save the date!
Thursday 8 – Friday 9 June 2023.
Hope to see many new and not so new faces next summer.
Best wishes

Mark Green
LDC Conference Chair 2023