What could you learn on the accreditation journey?

Elaine Halley, co-founder of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, discusses the academy’s accreditation process.

The BACD was founded by Elaine Halley, Chris Orr and David Bloom. Launching the industry-recognised accreditation programme was a key driver for setting up the academy, as Elaine Halley explains, “We very much wanted a benchmark for BACD members to be able to prove a high level of clinical skills. It was also important for Chris, David and myself to demonstrate that we could attain the same standards. We were very much inspired by the AACD accreditation process, but we wanted to adapt the requirements to make them more suitable for UK dentistry – including a posterior quadrant in the assessment criteria is an example of this.

“At the time, I was due to be BACD president after Chris and David. I also had my third child, so I was very busy with work and the academy. However, it was very important to me that I was undergoing accreditation prior to taking the office as president. I wanted to demonstrate my belief in the programme. During the process, I learnt that I am much more critical of myself than others are. Reviewing your work with close-up photography from every angle is very humbling and gives you a deep appreciation for the 3D nature of what we do.