Welcome to BDJ Team's first themed issue of 2024, which is also our second DCP Research themed issue. The first DCP Research issue was published in September 2021 and certainly boosted our wide-ranging DCP Research article collection: https://www.nature.com/collections/dcpresearch.

Why get involved in conducting research? Fiona Ellwood, who dedicates her life to acquiring new knowledge, says that it is ‘the doing that matters'. Her drive is not for personal publication, but rather to contribute to existing bodies of knowledge and to look at new and innovative ways to explore the wider topics that have implications for dentistry and oral health. Through writing in this issue of BDJ Team, Fiona hopes to inspire you to get involved in research or undertake your own research. She shares her own journey and emphasises the importance of embracing opportunities.

Dental hygienist and therapist Sakina Syed got involved with research while in her final year at university after finding out about a poster competition taking place at a conference in Dubai. She has since entered four such competitions and says ‘Taking part is not about winning but showcasing my work to share with others' (https://go.nature.com/3Tyax7o). In this issue Sakina and colleagues share the results of an audit to assess how clinicians manage peri-implant disease in practice.

Samia Turkistani is a dental nurse and research associate at the University of Portsmouth. Samia completed a BSc Advanced Dental Nursing and a master's in research before securing her current role and presents the results of an investigation into the impact of COVID-19 on dental nurses' professional practice.

Reader panellist Alison Brown ponders whether dental professionals should alter the way they talk to parents about sugar; and Abigail Craven shares her degree studies into the challenges associated with dental appointments for autistic adults.

I am so proud of the range and extent of content included in this issue of BDJ Team and that so many authors have chosen BDJ Team as the vessel for their work. Long may it continue!

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Kate Quinlan

Editor

k.quinlan@nature.com