Heart Your Smile, a campaign to boost confidence in the UK dental profession will launch at the BDTA Dental Showcase today (Friday).
A manifesto for change will be revealed by James Goolnik, in his opening address at the Showcase in Birmingham.
This will be followed by an invitation for dental professionals to join the movement at stand R01B in the exhibition hall.
The campaign is not affiliated with one particular company, individual or organisation and was initiated by a number of dental professionals and members of the dental industry who feel the dental profession is in need of confidence and inspiration – from the inside out.
‘It’s about stimulating positive conversations in the profession about the profession,’ said Simon Gambold, managing director of the dental division of Henry Schein UK.
‘The Heart Your Smile manifesto is a collection of core values which have been dubbed the ‘9 habits of a happy dental professional’,’ explained Slumdog Secret Millionaire dentist and entrepreneur, Seema Sharma, who is also part of the movement.
Visitors to Showcase are invited to sign this manifesto at the Showcase and will receive a Heart Your Smile badge in return.
Stand R01B will also be a filming studio where dental professionals will be invited to share their stories in dentistry.
These will form a collection of uplifting fables about dentistry which will be available on YouTube in due course.
‘Everyone in dentistry has had a journey to get where they are today, everyone had a mentor, everyone has a story to tell,’ added Roger Matthews, chief dental officer with Denplan.
‘Over the past few weeks we have ‘planted’ some posts on social media about what would inspire confidence in the dental profession and the answers have been very revealing,’ said Chris Barrow, dental business and marketing guru.
Amid the regulatory challenges and a strained economic climate currently facing UK dentistry, Heart Your Smile will be a recognisable source of inspiration.
The BDA’s Linda Stranks added: ‘A patient-facing campaign will also emerge from this which dental professionals can use to promote positive messages about overall healthcare and regular visits to the dentist.
For more information visit:
Website: www.heartyoursmile.co.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/HeartYourSmile
Twitter: @heart_yoursmile
YouTube: heartyoursmile
