What's in a name?

You may have read on the pages of the web site, that I am a strong supporter of the Faculty of General Dental Practitioners, having been fortunate to pass some examinations through the Royal College of Surgeons, which the Faculty is a part, and, in recent times, having the opportunity to sit on the Board of the Faculty.
So what is the Faculty and what does it do?
The Faculty represents one of the most important bodies that deal with the setting of standards within General Dental Practice. These, in turn, are translated into the areas that patients can expect the very highest standards of dental care and treatment from their dentist.
It has been exciting to see how this has developed in recent years, not only in driving the quality of dentistry higher, but, in the last few weeks, being expanded as the Faculty has embraced the important areas of those members of the dental team, who help deliver dental care alongside the dentist.
These team members, often referred to as Professionals Complimentary to Dentistry (PCT's), which include dental nurses; hygienists and therapists have been welcomed into the Faculty for the first time in their own right - a first for any of the Faculties of the Royal College, and a fitting recognizing of their important role within Health Care.
In recognition of this, the Faculty has agreed at its recent AGM, to change its name to the Faculty of General Dental Practice - a small change at first sight, but a monumentous one as it moves away for the first time from a focus only on dentists, to one including the whole dental team!
So what's in a name? I think an exciting future!