The Metropolitan Branch of the British Dental Association and the personalities involved in its early years.

The British Dental Association came into being in 1880 after a long fight to obtain professional status for dental practitioners, including qualifications and registration. It later formed geographically situated branches to bring it closer to the membership, easing scientific, political and social interchange. Many leading members of the profession belonged to its Metropolitan Branch, founded in 1888.

World Federation of Orthodontists: An orthodontic umbrella organization coordinating activities and pooling resources.

The idea of a global orthodontic organization, the World Federation of Orthodontists (WFO), made up of national and regional orthodontic organizations, was realized in 1995 in San Francisco at the 4th International Orthodontic Congress that was held in conjunction with the 95th annual American Association of Orthodontists meeting. This umbrella organization strives to promote quality orthodontic care, practiced and delivered by orthodontic specialists in all parts of the world. In addition, it supports its member organizations with governing principles that promote appropriate membership criteria, qualified individual leadership participation, and long-term stability of the organization over time. In response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic, the WFO has responded proactively and plans to augment its digital resources even further in the near future. This article describes the formation of the organization, the idea that germinated through the first three international orthodontic congresses, its workflow and membership criteria, the accountability and commitment it has toward its affiliates and individual members, and its plans for future years to come.

The history of dental bodies corporate and the role of the BDA in their development.

Dental bodies corporate are not a new phenomenon with companies having practised dentistry in the UK for over a hundred years. At the turn of the twentieth century, unregistered practice was common with dental companies resulting in extensive malpractice. Corporate dentistry introduced commercial interests into the profession and brought further dangers such as treatment not being patient-centred. The British Dental Association (BDA) was among those who continuously worked to mitigate these effects. Increasingly strict measures were introduced by governments to protect the public from harm from corporate practice with the government eventually remedying concerns, in the 1950s, by restricting corporate practice. In 2006 this restriction was lifted, with the support of the BDA, in an effort to increase competition and choice and open up the market to new providers. While the profession continues to develop, concerns remain. Some are long held with others, such as a negative effect on working conditions and UDA values, being relatively recent developments.

James Smith Turner (1832-1904) and the British Dental Association.

Together with John Tomes, J. S. Turner was a leading campaigner in the fight to advance dentistry from a trade to a profession. Through the Dental Reform Committee he promoted the establishment of a Dentists Register and then the British Dental Association. As first secretary of the BDA he guided it through its first days. He became president in 1891.