British Society of Prosthodontics (formerly the British Society for the Study of Prosthetic Dentistry)

The collection comprises material relating to the work of the British Society of Prosthodontics, formerly the British Society for the Study of Prosthetic Dentistry (BSSPD), and its relationships with other bodies in the field of prosthodontics. This includes:

The Society changed its name to the British Society of Prosthodontics in 2011, but continues to use the abbreviation BSSPD. It is referred to as the BSSPD throughout the catalogue.

The collection on the whole has been organised according to the groupings that the material was orignally in. Some additional arrangement has taken place where we have felt that the material corresponds more to a relevant section. The main sections can be found here:

Original file titles, where given, have been indicated in inverted commas; in some cases it is difficult to tell whether these represent working titles or titles assigned in organising the material at a later date.

The British Society for the Study of Prosthetic Dentistry (BSSPD) was founded in 1953. It was established after a series of meetings of dental prosthetics teachers in the 1950s culminated in the suggestion to form a society to promote the study of prosthetic dentistry.

The inaugural meeting of the Society was held in London on 11 September 1953. During this meeting, the bye-laws and constitution were accepted and the first Council elected, with Professor Harold B Fenn becoming the first President. The main focus of the Society was the content of teaching courses, how to effectively combine clinical teaching and technological training, and the need to exchange knowledge between teachers. The annual conferences provided an opportunity for this exchange, with demonstrations taking place from the inaugural meeting and papers given from 1955 onwards. Over the course of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the Society began awarding prizes for best undergraduate essay, best paper and table demonstration at conference, and for the advancement of knowledge in prosthetic dentistry. This reflected the Society’s focus on education, research and clinical activity.

The Society's influence developed as it formed relationships with other specialist dental societies and began to send representatives to committees serving bodies such as the British Standards Institution, the General Dental Council, the British Dental Association, and the Faculty of Dental Surgery of The Royal College of Surgeons. It has longstanding representation on National Dental Committees, including the Specialist Advisory Committee in Restorative Dentistry. Over the years they have advised on numerous topics such as the use of specialist titles, continuous professional development, dental technician training, regulations, inquiries into dental education, teaching resources, practice guidelines and patients' rights. In 1996 they published a book of "Guidelines in Prosthetic and Implant Dentistry".

The Society was an integral actor in the establishment of the European Prosthodontic Association (EPA), which was formed at a meeting during the 23rd BSSPD Conference in March 1976 with the object of improving knowledge and communication in the field of Prosthodontics across Europe. The first EPA President, Sidney Barrett, was a former BSSPD President and the first meeting of the EPA was held during the 24th BSSPD Conference in April 1977.

In collaboration with the British Society of Restorative Dentistry (BPC), the BSSPD set up the British Prosthodontic Conference in 1998 to be a consultative umbrella body on professional, academic and political issues shared by the two Societies. The BPC was active during the late 1990s and 2000s.

In 2011, the BSSPD changed its name to the British Society of Prosthodontics to embody the full range of educational, research and clinical activity that the Society undertakes, internationally known as Prosthodontics. It continues to use the abbreviation BSSPD.

Click here to connect to the BSSPD website.

Duplicate publications, papers and correspondence where identified have been disposed of, as has some routine administrative correspondence and ephemeral material.