BSSCD Spring Conference
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7 May 2026 | British Society of Special Care Dentistry National Conference, King's College London
Patient research and perspective talk
The British Society of Special Care Dentistry (BSSCD)'s spring conference brought together dental professionals from across the UK to celebrate the society's 50th anniversary.
The BSSCD works to raise awareness of the barriers to oral health that may be experienced by different groups. This could be anything from physical barriers, psychological ones or situations where someone's dental needs may require specialist care (like the care often needed for people born with a cleft).
The society's President, Professor Tim Newton, asked me to share the research I first presented in Kyoto. Tim had helped to champion this work and I felt honoured he wanted to help share it more widely with his peers back in the UK. The title of the presentation was "Patient-led Research: Novel Case Study Exploring Clinician-Patient Power Dynamics through Linguistic Discourse Analysis of a Paediatric Cleft Orthodontic Visit"
During my university studies I learned about the many difficulties of doctor-patient communication. I therefore decided to record an appointment with my orthodontist and conduct a discourse analysis (exploring linguistic techniques and structures that enable power and knowledge sharing through communication).
My research showed that my orthodontist had a lot of power in the consultation, but she used it to facilitate power sharing through the way she communicated (i.e. discourse devices). For example she would mirror my language and say 'we' rather than 'you' to help create a sense of joint ownership and empowerment. Her style of communication enabled me to feel listened to and empowered.
It was great to be able to share these findings again and also to hear about the role of restorative dentistry in cleft with a wide range of case studies presented by Sandip Popat from the Oxford cleft team.
Please feel free to contact me if you're interested in learning more about the research or a 'patient perspective' talk: bethscleft@gmail.com.
