Top apprentice

Melissa Dowling, a dental nurse from the Integrated Dental Holdings Longton Dental Centre, won the bronze award in the Healthcare Section of the Total People Apprentice of the year award 2002/03.

Melissa was the only dental nurse to make the final. The awards are open to a variety of trades and professions.

Chat room opens

The Dental Technicians Association website now has a chat room and noticeboard facility exclusively for dental technicians at www.dta-uk.org, providing an opportunity to share ideas, debate current issues and keep in touch with colleagues.

Visitors to the website will also see other differences on the site, including a news section and jobs on line via Practice People.

Bournemouth bound

The 2004 British Association of Dental Nurses Conference will be held in Bournemouth on Saturday 8 May 2004 and will coincide with the British Dental Conference and Exhibition which is also being held in Bournemouth 6–8 May 2004, at the Bournemouth International Centre.

The BADN and the BDA have negotiated a special offer for all BADN Conference delegates who are interested in attending both events. Details and booking forms for the BADN Conference will be available in the Winter 04 (January) edition of the British Dental Nurses' Journal. Details of the British Dental Conference and Exhibition are available on the BDA website at www.bda.org