British Orthodontic Conference 2022

The annual British Orthodontic Conference (BOC) took place across 14-17 September with a four-day programme at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham. As with last year's conference, those who could not attend in person could still benefit from live virtual streaming and there was a superb social programme on offer. The pre-course conference took place on Wednesday and was delivered by Ewa Czochrowska and Pavel Płakwicz, on auto-transplantation.

Thursday kicked off the main programme with the UTG speciality registrar presentations, followed by talks on stem cell biology from Martyn Cobourne, and explored the possibility of the age old question of teeth regeneration. The Chapman Prize lecture was then delivered by Dr Ama Johal on hypodontia and the impact on young people. Jack Waley-Cohen, the co-founder of what3words, addressed how one of the uses of the revolutionary geographical mapping app is that it can assist in the emergency services; the conference GPS address was, aptly, Most.Smile.Debate.

Canadian clinician Dr Sandra Tai delivered the first of three talks across the programme on her work with clear aligners in resolving the vertical challenge. Restorative consultant Hannah Beddis and orthodontic consultant Nadine Houghton then delivered the Yorkshire approach to auto-transplantation and its success using an MDT approach. To end the day, the team from Ten Dental in London, implantologist Martin Wanendaya and orthodontist Annika Patel, demonstrated how working digitally can offer patients excellent, predictable results in both alignment and rehabilitation.

This was followed by a popular gala in the evening inside Birmingham's Library and included extravagant entertainment of traditional Punjabi bhangra dancing, reflecting the diverse population of the host city.

On Friday, there was a wide range of parallel sessions for orthodontists, orthodontic therapists, nurses and aspiring orthodontists. Dr Sarah Good also shared her invaluable insights on the management of cleft lip and palate cases. Afterwards, Dr Nicky Mandall spoke on an RCT on the effectiveness of bone anchored maxillary protraction in Class III teenagers. Dr Jadbinder Seehra delivered a talk on choice on whether to mesialise canines to replace congenitally missing lateral incisors or to idealise the space for prosthetics. The much-anticipated Northcroft Memorial lecture was given by Dr David Spary on evidence-based techniques, imparting top tips in his vast experience, which was met with a standing ovation.

The afternoon session began with Dr Lars Christensen sharing a lecture on his experience with 'in house' aligner therapy and the equipment and technology needed to achieve this. This was followed by a lecture by Dr Davide Mirabella on finishing in the complex adult patient cohort; and Professor Padhraig Fleming on a sometimes rather challenging decision to extract or not. To end the day, the well-known multitalented journalist and TV presenter Dr Michael Moseley attended as a special guest speaker. He delivered a motivating presentation on the power of smiling in boosting mood along with other beneficial daily activities including cold showers, a Mediterranean diet and the importance of sleep.

In the evening, a banquet was held in Birmingham's impressive town hall which included a three-course dinner with a live band for delegates to catch up with old friends and acquaint with new ones.

The final day began with Professor Björn Ludwig explaining the interdisciplinary work between digital orthodontics and TADS, combining digital workflows with trusted biomechanics. Explaining the principles behind orthognathic surgery, Dr Farhad Naini explained the history of what makes an ideal facial profile and the model parameters we base this surgery on. To follow, Dr Adam Jowett shared the Leeds University experience in learning about clear aligner therapy and the pros and cons about the implementation of this in an NHS teaching hospital setting.

To begin the afternoon, solicitor Julie Norris imparted her expert guide in how to get employees to 'fall madly in love with you' and advised employers on how to not only gain a suitable employee but to retain a happy, fulfilled workforce. This was followed with a thought-provoking lesson from Rachael Evans, a technology leadership coach and advocate for gender variant workplace inclusion. Her talk was on understanding treatment of intersex and transgender patients and how we as clinicians are able to offer both solidarity and support. Afterwards, the dentist turned investor Dr James Martin gave the conference a brief introduction to the possibilities that cryptocurrency can offer in securing financial freedom for dental professionals. To close the conference, a series of five clinical pearls of wisdom were shared that varied from the use of reversing bite turbos to the use of the whip spring device.

I had the honour of acting as steward for this event and would like to thank the sponsors and organisers on the BOC committee for their relentless hard work and dedication in ensuring its successful delivery. Finally, congratulations to all those who won prizes for their efforts this year - BOC 2023 in London is not to be missed!