I was excited to learn today that BDJ Team is the second most accessed journal in the BDJ Portfolio. Second only [and miles behind, admittedly] to the great behemoth that is the BDJ itself. Yes, this year so far there have been over 800,000 item requests (times people have accessed an article) on the BDJ Team site. So, we must be doing something right.

If you are reading this or if you have contributed to BDJ Team as an author, interviewee or reader panellist, thank you for helping to make BDJ Team so interesting and well-read. When we first launched BDJ Team in 2014, I wondered who would read it if there wasn't a printed copy to flick through during one's lunchbreak in the practice staff room, or sat on the wall in a sunny spot outside. When I disappeared on maternity leave back in 2015, I wondered whether BDJ Team would still be afloat when I returned. But I needn't have worried. It turns out that readers do read online content and furthermore, in recent years numbers have really picked up. We have a fine back catalogue of relevant content for dental care professionals (DCPs) and a steady stream of high-quality new articles too.

I shall stop having a proud moment now and introduce you to this penultimate issue of BDJ Team this year, one that has been more relaxed in the making after two rather regimented themed issues. Our cover star is an ambitious dental nurse turned dental hygiene student, Freya Witt. First-time contributor Imagen Medina, a dental treatment coordinator, explains how to use DISC profiling to personalise the patient journey. Multi-talented Ayesha Mir writes on recognising non-clinical leaders in your practice, and I also caught up with her for an interview piece. Chrystal Sharp returns with a focus on fixed retainers; and Lauren Long tracks the rise of the dental therapist over the years.

I have just begun planning for 2026 so if you would like to join the BDJ Team hall of fame, or have an idea for a themed issue, please do get in touch any time.

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Kate Quinlan

Editor

k.quinlan@nature.com