In 2004 Caroline Holland investigated the relationship between dental laboratory and dental practice in an article called Profitable partnerships (Vital summer 2004 pages 22–24). Six years on Caroline set out to discover how the role of dental technician has changed since the introduction of GDC registration and discovered some mixed views among the technicians of today (page 26).

If you are a dental technician reader of Vital, please do write and tell us your own views.

One topic that dental technicians are not alone in getting to grips with since 2008 is of course CPD. In this issue we throw a spotlight on provision in London (page 36), one practice manager's initiative in the West Midlands (page 31) and of course offer another two hours of Vital verifiable CPD (articles on page 22 and page 38).

In Vital we are keen to feature a broad cross-section of the dental community. For the first time in this issue Tracy Ruck talks about the evolving role of the treatment coordinator (page 20). We showcase another superstar practice manager (page 16), feature the next instalment in our advanced dental nursing series, and round everything off with a look at how to make the most of the fresh air as the autumn leaves begin to fall. Happy reading!

Kate Maynard Editor vitaleditorial@nature.com