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British Dental Association

The British Dental Association (BDA) was established in 1880 and acts as the voice of UK dentists and dental students. It is a trade union and a professional association for dentists. In other words, the BDA is ‘by dentists, for dentists’. 

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The BDA’s role is to protect dentists and provide support and resources for a successful career within dentistry. The BDA represents all areas of the profession including general practice, community dental services, the armed forces, hospitals, public health, academia and research. 

 

Some examples of the work of the BDA include:

  • Lobbying for improvements in care provision for both patients and colleagues.

  • Offering indemnity cover and access to expert dento-legal advice. 

  • Holding events that promote local and national networking with your peers. 

  • Counselling and emotional support for dental professionals – especially since the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent challenges faced in dentistry. 

What is the BDSA?

What is the BDSA (British Dental Students’ Association)?

  • The BDSA was established in 1942 as a body for dental students. Today it represents over 5000 students in UK dental schools. 

  • The BDSA is run by an Executive Committee and student representatives from each UK dental school who are known as ‘BDA Reps’. 

  • The BDSA is a separate entity to the BDA but works closely with them at BDA Student Committee meetings to provide student perspectives on political matters. 

  • The main difference between the BDSA and BDA is that the BDSA is a voluntary-based organisation which coordinates the social side of undergraduate life. 

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Aims of the BDSA:

  • Promote the educational and social interests of dental students of the UK.

  • Represent dental students on a national and international level.

  • Promote integration between all dental students.

  • Campaign amongst the profession and beyond to champion the views of dental students.

  • Organise two annual national events: sports day and conference.

 

Benefits of the BDA Membership 

  • Access to conferences, courses, webinars and other professional development resources. 

  • Access to the BDA library, which is the most comprehensive dental library in Europe. 

  • Issues of the BDJ Portfolio, including BDJ, BDJ Student and BDJ in practice. 

  • Discounted tickets to BDSA social events, such as the annual Sports Day and Conference weekends. 

  • Graduate membership offer – discount on BDA membership after graduation if you are already a member as a student. 

Join the BDA!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram

Join the BDA 

  • This link will take you to the BDA website where you can sign up for membership!

  • https://bda.org/join

 

BDSA Social Media – stay up-to-date with all student matters and upcoming events!

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BDA Reps at Cardiff 

  • If you have any questions about upcoming events or have suggestions for the BDA Student Committee meetings then please feel free to get in touch with the BDA reps!

  • Check out the CDSS Facebook page to see who your BDA reps are for this year and drop them a message or flag them down in UDH! They will be happy to help!

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