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What is BSPD?

The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) is the UK's national society focused on children's oral health, specifically from birth to 16. It is a professional membership organisation for dentists and related practitioners in paediatric dentistry, and it also serves as a public-facing resource for parents and patients.

BSPD

Its work centres on three things:

• Professional community — meetings, publications and news for members working in children's dentistry.
• Guidance and standards — resources such as its Blueprint and President's Charter, which set out expectations for children's oral care.
• Public information — material aimed at parents and carers, plus child-oriented content such as Kidsvids.

Who it is for: practising dentists, dental teams, trainees and academics in paediatric dentistry; parents and carers looking for trustworthy UK-focused information; and policymakers or campaigners interested in children's oral health.

What it is not: it is not a regulator and does not license dentists. If you need to check whether a specific dentist is registered, that is a different body's job.

A practical next step: if you are a parent, start with the Patients & Parents section for age-appropriate advice on brushing, diet and first dental visits. If you are a dental professional, look at the membership subscription details to see whether meetings, publications and news justify the cost for your role — the value depends mostly on how much you would use the events and guidance.

How can parents find a paediatric dentist for their child in the UK?

For a UK child, the practical route is usually to start with a general dental practice that accepts NHS or private child patients, then ask specifically about experience with children or referral to a paediatric dentistry service. Paediatric dentists are trained to treat children, including those with anxiety, complex needs or medical conditions, but they are not always the first point of contact.

The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry is the national society for children's oral health in the UK and is a credible place to understand what paediatric dentistry involves and how care is organised: BSPD. Its public pages are aimed partly at patients and parents, so they can help you ask better questions before you call a practice.

H3 Practical steps

1. Ask your current general dentist whether they treat children and whether they can refer your child to a paediatric dentist or a community/special care dental service.
2. If you do not have a dentist, use the NHS website to find practices accepting children, or call NHS 111 if you are unsure where to start.
3. When you call, ask: does the dentist see children regularly, how are anxious children managed, and is there a paediatric specialist on the team or a referral pathway?
4. For children with complex medical, developmental or behavioural needs, ask specifically about referral to a specialist paediatric dentistry service rather than a general check-up.
5. If you are considering private care, ask about the dentist's paediatric training and whether they are on a specialist list.

H3 Choosing between options

A useful next step is to check the BSPD's parent-facing material for questions to ask, then contact your local general dental practice or NHS dental access line. If your child has a specific medical or developmental condition, mention it when you call so they can direct you to the right service.

What are BSPD's guidelines for children's oral health?

BSPD's guidance is aimed mainly at dental professionals rather than being a single public-facing rulebook for parents. The site presents its clinical guidelines as one of its core resources, alongside its Blueprint and President's Charter, for improving children's oral health from birth to 16 across the UK. In practice, that means the guidelines are written to help dentists, paediatric specialists and their teams follow consistent, evidence-based approaches to prevention, diagnosis and treatment in children.

For a parent or carer, the practical route is different: use the "Patients & Parents" section and the Kidsvids resources for everyday advice, and treat the professional guidelines as the source your child's dentist works from. If you want the actual recommendations — for example on fluoride, caries prevention or recall intervals — read the guidelines directly rather than relying on summaries, because the detail matters and is updated periodically.

A useful next step is to decide which audience you are: a clinician looking for the current clinical recommendations, or a parent wanting practical prevention advice. If you are a clinician, check the guidelines section of the site and note the publication or review date before applying anything. If you are a parent, start with the patient-facing pages and ask your dentist which BSPD guidance informs your child's care. You can begin at BSPD.

How can dental professionals become a member of BSPD?

Dental professionals join BSPD by applying through the society's membership process and paying the applicable subscription; membership is aimed at those working in or connected to children's dentistry in the UK. The site's subscription details page is the official starting point: Subscription Details.

What to expect

• Membership categories: Professional bodies like BSPD typically offer different rates for dentists, therapists, hygienists, nurses, students and retired members. Check the current categories on the subscription page, as these determine your fee and eligibility.
• Application route: You usually complete an online or downloadable form, provide your professional registration details, and choose a payment method. Confirm the exact steps on the site rather than assuming.
• What membership supports: BSPD describes itself as the national society concerned with children's oral health, offering meetings, publications and news. Joining is therefore most useful if you want clinical updates, peer contact and access to society events.

A practical scenario

If you are a dental therapist seeing children in a mixed practice, membership can give you a structured link to paediatric dentistry beyond your daily caseload: meeting notices, guidance updates and a network of colleagues facing similar cases. If you are a student or recently qualified, look for a reduced trainee rate before paying the full subscription.

Next step

Open the subscription details page, identify the category that matches your registration and career stage, then follow the application instructions. If your category is unclear, contact BSPD directly before submitting payment.

What resources does BSPD offer for children's dental health education?

BSPD, the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry, is a professional society focused on children's oral health in the UK, so its public-facing resources are mainly aimed at parents, carers, and children themselves. The site's own description highlights a dedicated "Patients & Parents" area, alongside named resources such as Kidsvids, the BSPD Blueprint, the President's Charter, Guidelines, and a BSPD Blog. See BSPD.

H3 What you can expect to find

• A parents' section: Practical information for families on looking after children's teeth from birth to age 16.
• Kidsvids: Video content intended to make dental health messages accessible to children.
• Blueprint and President's Charter: Policy and advocacy documents setting out the society's aims for children's oral health; useful if you want the professional or campaigning angle rather than day-to-day tips.
• Guidelines: Clinical guidance, which is written for dentists and other professionals rather than for parents.
• Blog: News and commentary, likely a mix of professional and public interest topics.

H3 Matching the resource to the reader

H3 A practical next step If you are preparing a lesson or a talk for young children, go to the Patients & Parents section first and check the Kidsvids page for something age-appropriate; use the blog only for background or updates. If you need clinical detail, the Guidelines will serve you better than the parent-facing pages, as the two audiences are kept separate.

One caveat: membership and subscription details exist on the site, so some content or publications may sit behind a members' area. Check what is openly available before assuming everything is free to access.

What is BSPD's Blueprint and President's Charter?

BSPD's Blueprint and President's Charter are the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry's flagship policy and advocacy documents, aimed at improving children's oral health across the UK. They set out the society's vision and the practical changes it wants to see in children's dental care, rather than being clinical guidance for treating an individual child.

The Blueprint is BSPD's strategic framework for children's oral health. It typically identifies the main problems — such as tooth decay being the leading reason for hospital admissions in young children — and proposes system-level actions: prevention, access to dental care, workforce and training, and joined-up working between dentistry, health visiting, schools and local authorities.

The President's Charter is the accompanying set of pledges and principles, issued under the sitting BSPD President. It is a shorter, values-led statement that organisations, professionals and policymakers can sign up to or align with, signalling commitment to specific priorities for children's oral health during that President's term.

Who each is for

How to use them

If you are a dental professional, a commissioner or a parent trying to understand BSPD's position, start with the Blueprint for the detail and use the Charter as the quick summary of current priorities. Both are freely available on the society's site alongside its guidelines and blog: BSPD.

A practical next step: read the Blueprint section most relevant to your role — for example, prevention or access — then check the Charter to see which of those priorities BSPD is currently campaigning on.