No the BADT is totally separate to the BSDHT. BSDHT used to be the British Dental Hygienists Association (BDHA) and changed it’s name in 2006. BADT and BSDHT work together on some joint projects when in the best interests of Dental Therapists and Dental Hygienists, such as the exemptions campaign. 

The current rate is £90.00 if paid annually or alternatively £9.00 per month – this equates to 24p per day. 

Yes, £9.00 per month.  

Membership of BADT provides you with support and representation by the BADT council, all of whom are working Dental Therapists, providing a voice for dental therapists and dental hygienists on the local, national and international stage, including representations to parliament, government, the GDC and other associations/societies. As a member you will also be able to attend our annual conference, study days and webinars at a members discounted rate, and access to discounts with 3rd party CPD course providers. You will also receive 4 printed Dental Therapy Update journals per year, online access to Dental Update journals and RDH Mag Online. There are also monthly newsletters from council to keep you updated with any changes within the profession. Extra newsletters will arrive whenever the need arises, such as special projects or news like the recent COVID-19 pandemic when they were weekly. There is a dedicated helpline  07312 101963 (9:30am to 4:00pm weekdays – excluding bank holidays).

Yes, we hold our annual conference in various locations; and always provide both lecture and hands on topics presentations over 2 days, with an option to attend the presidential dinner in the evening. Its a great event to meet like minded professionals who completely understand what being a Dental Therapist is all about! There are also 2 study days a year covering both a north and south location.

BADT formed in 1962 when the first UK Dental Therapists qualified and the first annual general meeting took place in 1963. We are the longest running Dental Therapy Association in the UK and Europe and 2nd in the world behind New Zealand. 

We welcome articles for the journal, especially from members. Please email our editor Georgina at  [email protected]

That’s no problem, just email our administrator Suzy at  [email protected]

No the whole of BADT council, including the President and ordinary council members are 100% volunteers; who work between BADT and their own clinical workplaces. 

Visit the Education and Training Tab for more information. 

Yes you can join as an associate member, please contact our administrator Suzy at  [email protected]

Please email  [email protected]

Please contact our administrator Suzy at  [email protected]

Please contact our administrator Suzy at  [email protected]

Please contact our administrator Suzy at  [email protected]

The GDC are clear that the title Hygiene-Therapist is not a protected or recognised title. The General Dental Council only recognises the titles of Dental Hygienist and Dental Therapist. The term hygiene-therapist could legally be used by anyone non-dentally qualified as it is not protected.  

A Dental Therapist also carries out the scope of a Dental Hygienist and you usually take the highest level of qualification title. Just as a Dentist is not called a Dentist-Hygiene-Therapist.  

You may use the title Dental Therapist. The Dental Therapy scope encompasses the full scope of a Dental Hygienist. 

The term Oral Health Practitioner is a title some NHS dental job advisements use. As a Dental Hygienist or Dental Therapist you are classed as a DCP; Dental Care Professional. The term Oral Health Practitioner may be used but you must not mislead the general public that you are anything other than your qualifications state.  

As a Dental Hygienist or Dental Therapist, if trained, competent and indemnified; you may carry out facial aesthetics. For Botox you must have this prescribed from a Doctor or Dentist who has carried out a consultation with the patient face to face (no remote or virtual prescribing is allowed). For dermal fillers these may be administered directly without prescription as the product does not carry POM or P. As facial aesthetics is not part of the General Dental Councils Scope of Practice for Hygienists or Therapists; you must not mislead the general public that your dental qualifications are related to carrying out facial aesthetics. This means you must not use the title of Dental Hygienist or Dental Therapist to promote providing these services. You must also make sure you adhere to the correct advertisement regulations regarding Prescription Only Medicines. In Jan 2020, the GDC issued guidance on advertisement of facial aesthetics:Today, the Committee for Advertising Practice and the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA), have launched a new campaign to tackle the unlawful advertising of botulinum toxin injections on social media. Botulinum toxin injections, such as Botox, Vistabel, Dysport, Bocouture and Azzalure, are prescription only medicines and cannot be advertised to the public, even when they are to be administered by a registered healthcare professional.Please take immediate action to review your social media advertising and make any necessary changes. The ASA has issued guidance to support compliance, so please take a look at this now if you advertise these products on social media.After  Friday 31 January, the ASA will be taking targeted enforcement action, which for those unwilling to comply, may include referral to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) or us, as your professional regulator. https://www.asa.org.uk/resource/enforcement-notice-botox-social-media.html

No, the BADT decided against an indemnity package for members as it is important registrants are aware they are fully covered; it is important you are being represented by a dento-legal advisor. Some indemnity companies or Insurance companies may not have dento-legal advisors on their board and you may be represented by a medico-legal advisor. It is important you also are aware of the “Run-Off Period” coverage for when you leave an indemnity company or retire. BADT have decided to partner with Dental Protection to provide members with a discount when taking out indemnity cover directly with Dental Protection.  To obtain this discount; please login as a member where you will find further access for this partner deal. 

We are very sorry to hear you are going through a FtP, a Fitness to Practice is not nice for any dental clinician to go through but as a BADT member; we are here to support you where we can. We would advise you to speak to your indemnity company straight away before replying or submitting any correspondence back to the General Dental Council. You pay your indemnity companies to deal with these issues when they unfortunately arise; they will know exactly what to do and provide you with the advice you need. Once spoken to your indemnity advisor, many clinicians do start to feel better. 

In 2013 the GDC removed its barrier to Direct Access for some dental care professionals after considering the impact on patient safety. Before then, every member of the dental team had to work on the prescription of a dentist. This meant that patients had to be seen by a dentist before being treated by any other member of the dental team.

Dental hygienists and dental therapists can carry out their full scope of practice without prescription and without the patient having to see a dentist first. The only exception to this is toothwhitening, which must still be carried out on prescription from a dentist.Dental hygienists and therapists must be confident that they have the skills and competences to treat patients direct. A period of practice working to a dentist’s prescription is a good way to assess this.Hygienists and therapists who qualified since 2002 should have covered the full scope of practice in their training, while those who trained before 2002 may not have covered everything. However, many will have addressed this via top-up training, CPD and experience.

Those who are unsure whether there are any gaps in their training should contact the dental school where they received their qualification, and check with their indemnifiers before undertaking any new duties.Hygienists and Therapists who: – qualified before 2002, or – have identified gaps in their training, or – have not applied their skills recently must review their training and experience to ensure they are competent to undertake all the duties within their scope of practice.Dental hygienists and therapists who come across something outside their competence when seeing a patient directly, must advise the patient that they should be referred to a dentist.Visit the GDC for further guidance  https://www.gdc-uk.org/information-standards-guidance/standards-and-guidance/direct-access

The UK General Dental Council is for the United Kingdom; some Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories may require you to register with the UK General Dental Council in order to practice in their country, but you must check with the local government on their regulations as some countries now have their own Dental Councils. If you wish to practice in the Republic of Ireland as a Dental Hygienist you must register with the Irish Dental Council, if you wish to practice in Northern Ireland as a Dental Therapist or Hygienist you must register with the UK General Dental Council.  

GDC:  https://www.gdc-uk.org/registration/your-registration/new-registrants
Dental Council of Ireland  http://www.dentalcouncil.ie/exam-hygienists-details.php

The General Dental Council states you SHOULD work with a dental nurse! It is best practice to have a dental nurse present as they are also a chaperone for the dental clinician in the event of a patient complaint, medical emergency and to provide general assistance throughout procedures. We understand there is currently a grey area between the GDC’s wording of Must and  Should on some policies and some practices are not providing a dental nurse for hygienists and therapists. The BADT are clear; we feel every clinician should be practicing with a Dental Nurse for best practice.