Business and regulatory updates at BDIA Dental Showcase
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At BDIA Dental Showcase 2025 dental professionals were able to update their business and regulatory knowledge. The event had a dedicated Business Theatre, ideal for those whose key focus was improving their skills as a leader and growing their business, making it particularly popular with practice managers and practice owners. Additionally, BDIA Dental Showcase had a dedicated Chief Dental Officer Theatre and Meeting Zone for those looking to gain regulatory insights and ask their burning questions.
Getting up to date on regulation
The profession has been under immense pressure in recent years, with the COVID pandemic exacerbating issues in dentistry and creating increased access problems for patients. As such, it was important to hear from government and NHS representatives at BDIA Dental Showcase to get a better understanding about how changing policies may impact the dental team, and about different initiatives being rolled out across the country.
Stephen Kinnock MP delivered a comprehensive Keynote Address in the Dental Update Theatre, which was well received by delegates. He touched on the revision of the UDA system in the future, and highlighted his dedicated support for dentistry. A 10-year long-term health workforce plan will be revealed this summer, and Kinnock noted that he wants to secure the best possible funding for the profession in order to deliver the best results for patients. Neil Carmichael was in attendance and commented “The session was effective, and it was reassuring to hear Stephen Kinnock acknowledge the need for workforce planning and realistic reform of dentistry, including the UDA system”. The session finished with a Q&A in which he discussed filling the gaps post-COVID, a move from hospital to community, cure to prevention, and analogue to digital.
Over in the CDO Theatre, Urshla Devalia, Matthew Jerreat, and Zain Hameed presented sessions discussing remote check-ins to address oral health inequalities in special educational need schools compared with mainstream schools, cancer patient management through a team approach, and the benefits of scientific conferences for filling gaps in the evidence base. This was followed by an engaging Q&A session in which the audience discussed their thoughts about the important topics raised. Nick Stolls took part in the discussion and, afterwards, commented “The speakers were very good, they were concise and addressed the issues effectively. I felt that I received adequate answers to my questions, and that they delivered high level presentations discussing best practice”.
Business and financial advice
In the Business Theatre, there were key focuses on leadership, management, and finances, with various speakers offering insights into these areas. This was ideal for attendees looking to pick up practical tips to take back to the practice.
In his session, Chris Barrow discussed ways in which better understanding finances enables practice owners to maximise their profits. By evaluating all costs in the practice, owners can better identify KPIs and measure productivity. He also discussed that, generally, staff wages are the highest cost, particularly as the political climate has caused this aspect to rise, explaining that if this increased cost is not passed on to patients in the form of higher treatment prices, or the team in terms of greater productivity there will be a loss of profit. Alice Tucker attended this session and commented “He was a great speaker; I found the session inspiring. He provided all the right advice and I will definitely be taking these tips away to the practice”.
Similarly, Heather Williams and Mark Rhodes discussed the importance of financial modelling to transform the dental practice into a highly profitable business. Practices must communicate the value they offer patients, considering profit margin, price changes, and the impact of patient gain/loss on finances. Nour Geres commented “Heather and Mark gave a different perspective, and the right sort of information I was looking for. They came across as very confident, and I will reach out to them for further advice in the future”.
Mhari Coxon, on the other hand, explored the ways that practice owners can invest in management and leadership training to improve productivity through a good working environment. She highlighted that, usually, practice owners are accidental leaders, often without any formal management training, and the potential impact that this can have on business growth. Ultimately, she recommended that leaders are agile and accept that crises will happen in order to grow the business, learn from mistakes, and build trust with their team. Delegate Stuti Singh commented “Mhari is a very knowledgeable and natural presenter. Her session offered more than I expected it to, sharing helpful studies, insights and management and leadership advice. I wanted to attend BDIA Dental Showcase mostly for the dedicated Business Theatre”.
The opportunities for delegates seeking advice and answers surrounding business growth and regulatory updates were multiple, with each of these areas being key fixtures of BDIA Dental Showcase. As such, if you were unable to immerse yourself in this aspect on the show this year, save the date for 2026 – 13th-14th March!
BDIA Dental Showcase
13th-14th March 2026
ExCeL London
Find out more at www.dentalshowcase.com
