The British Association of Oral Surgeons – Promoting excellence in Oral Surgery through Education, Training and Research for better patient care
Our Ethos
The British Association of Oral Surgeons (BAOS) represents all practitioners involved in the delivery of Oral Surgery in the United Kingdom. We aim to support and strategically represent the clinical workforce in Primary and Secondary Care, NHS, Private and Academic Practice. We offer membership for clinicians, Specialty trainees, Undergraduates and Dental nurses.
BAOS aims to support the membership to deliver high standards of Oral Surgery care to patients. We have worked hard to produce and regularly update an extensive resource of specialty specific CPD and clinical governance information. This is available in a variety of formats to support both specialty training and career development.
BAOS’s overarching ethos is to assiduously promote the specialty of oral surgery on an international, national and regional forum. We continue to do this through consistent support of career development, scientific research and education.
Internationally we take an active role with EFOS, developing the specialty across Europe and beyond. Nationally and regionally, we encourage interaction with our members through numerous and varied training and networking opportunities engaging with a multitude of stakeholders to improve patient centric care.
Our Progress
BAOS has had many achievements over the years and has been at the forefront of advancing the specialty of Oral Surgery. Most recently this can be demonstrated in the association’s response to the C-19 pandemic and influence on national advice related to workforce and patient safety.
The Association’s regular newsletters and social media presence provide valuable updates to the membership. This is supported by the BAOS website which is also an extensive information resource and a link to the Council and staff team. In addition, the website provides access to Antimicrobial Stewardship CPD modules which were devised in collaboration with King’s College London and continue to be our most viewed pages. Similarly, specialty specific patient information leaflets are extremely popular and are available to download in the member’s section.
In line with the core aim of supporting specialist education, BAOS successfully launched its own specialty journal in 2008. “Oral Surgery” is widely respected nationally and internationally and since 2018 has been available in an environmentally sustainable online format. It can be accessed either via the Wiley Online Library or again through the members’ section of the BAOS website.
At the heart of our annual programme, The BAOS Annual Scientific Conference continues to go from strength to strength. This event aims to deliver a high standard of relevant lectures from reputed national and international speakers. It is also an excellent networking and social opportunity and is always well attended.
In addition to this, the association supports a network of regional representatives to provide regular training sessions throughout the year at a local level, again encouraging continuous professional development and engagement with our membership.
In 2022 BAOS became an independent and stand-alone employer by demerging from Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh. The office remains on the college campus and is led by Gail Hunter, Head of Business and Operations and supported by Senior Administrator Rita Capaldi who work closely with the BAOS Council members to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the Association.
BAOS now has more than 800 members and continues to strive to support its membership in a fast-changing clinical world. During the Covid-19 pandemic, BAOS adapted the delivery of our CPD events and hosted a diverse range of “Byte sized” webinars and on-line learning opportunities. The convenience of these CPD events has made them very popular with our members, and we have continued to develop the Regional CPD lectures as being on-line events. However, BAOS recognise that part of the appeal of the CPD events is the opportunity to catch-up with colleagues and network, and as such, going forward, some events will revert to in-person meetings. In the future, BAOS will endeavour to deliver what the membership needs and expects from the Association.
New members are always welcome at BAOS and our membership application process and information can be found here