Open Writing

Dental Trade Underground

In the period 1984/85 continuing until 1989 a new entrant to the trade realised that some manufacturers were selling to about two European countries at lower prices. This gave him the opportunity to buy and sell cheaper than his competitors. Cheapness became a promoted and important feature.

Sport

As part of business building I believed that those who worked together should also play together. So inter-company darts matches happened in London West End pubs and provided happy evenings. J & S Davis even enjoyed victories.

Cricket then appeared on the agenda starting with Cottrell versus Davis on the Hendon Park cricket pitch. A problem was that Davis did not have 11 men working for them at that time and had to recruit a cousin and a friend to complete the team.

A discussion with Geoffrey Baxter of Baxters of Bradford brought the North versus South cricket matches into being for several years. A cricket club near Leicester was borrowed/hired for the afternoon, and several good games were played. North were a little more successful than South and could be relied on to make a presentable score.

John Bayley, managing director of the SS White group, was also a fine cricketer, and I can still remember an outstanding catch he pulled off in the outfield. Several of his people also played for the North. Baxters provided the majority of the North team. Each event ended with a meal and drink in a local pub before the return home.

Then came tennis, with inter-company games in the summer evenings. Hilde and Desborough Brooks proved a winning pair for J & S Davis.

An ambitious North versus South football match was arranged for one weekend, with North as comfortable winners with some experienced young Basters players. It was decided that this event should not be repeated, as it proved too rough for those who were not playing regularly. Whilst I participated in all the other sports, I did not take part in the football match.

One of my business friends ran a fine dental company in Germany, and they were good customers. He suggested a tennis match - UK versus Germany at the 1971 Stuttgart International Dental Exhibition. He organised it and played. Bill Morgan led the British team in which I played. Germany won comfortably.

Sadly all the trade sporting activities petered out. There must be quite a collection of sporting trophies hidden in the BDTA offices. Will anyone wind up dental trade sport again?

British Dental Health Foundation

Having been one of its two founders with Peter De Trey alongside, I remained closely involved and served on the Council for many years. In 1990 whilst Chairman of the Foundation there was a big Department of Health change in the structure of the Dental Health Service. This I felt needed strong selling to the public, and so designed a leaflet for wide distribution. Two experienced individuals at Dentsply substantially improved this.

Then I persuaded the Department of Health to take it over. They provided finance and organisation. The project was delayed whilst the leaflet was translated and printed in Welsh. Finally it hit the market, but was not a great success.

North London Dental Practice Development Project

In 1992 a BDA member developed the concept of an Action Learning Project, whereby dentists in Surrey and Kent would be trained by Business Training Consultants. It looked as if it might be successful, and I was asked to set up something similar in North London. It should be possible to obtain government funding, and Mr. Manolescu and Frank Taylor would participate in the training.

So I approached 43 local practices. Five of them participated in a meeting, and I obtained a ‘no’ from all except two. The timing and concept were wrong. There was nothing else to do but to advise of my withdrawal and the need to hand over in failure. Another Davis activity that turned out to be a non-runner. It had proved to be expensive for me in both time and money. Good ideas need introduction at the right time and in the right way.

Dental Trade Magazine

From about 1960 I became part of the Dental Trader Committee, which was wonderfully led by Cyril Rosen as Editor with imagination and writing skill. I wrote articles and provided the services of a dental reporter because while travelling around the country it was easy to pick up news items. I was also the sports reporter, covering news of cricket, darts and tennis matches with a comprehensive report on the annual conference.

One of the special features was the mysterious aunty May. She exposed all sorts of odd items and occasionally offended those who were mentioned by name. Some thought I was the Aunt. Finally she retired. The magazine was published three or four times a year and was read with interest by most of those in the trade.

Dental Trade Training

A trade annual Conference was always stimulating. It lasted three to four days, and Hilde nearly always accompanied me. Apart from the banquet and tennis competition, the mornings were filled with a varied business programme.

One year in the 1980’s Peter De Trey and I organised the programme, which included several leading dentists and trade personalities with the broad heading of “The Future of the Dental Trade”. After the Conference Peter and I met for lunch to discuss implementation of the ideas. We came to the conclusion that in a fast-changing dental scene properly trained trade personnel were a vital necessity.

So a Training Committee was formed and an excellent training manual produced that was used for many years. Training sessions within companies were encouraged, and training courses in dental schools and elsewhere took place. This programme continued for some years until the changes in legislation, including the Medicines Act, caused the Trade Council to set up a more professional programme.

The British Dental Health Foundation Arrives

Another such trade Conference, with Peter De Trey again involved, resulted in us deciding that the future of the dental trade depended on a more dentally aware public. A meeting in the Café Royal near Piccadilly Circus was arranged, and we invited a select band of dentists to join us. Further meetings were arranged, and finally the British Dental Health foundation was born, with a wonderfully enthusiastic dentist, Jack Manning, in the chair.

From miniscule beginnings with the foundation offices in Jack Manning’s London West End practice, the BDHF gradually became an important influence on dental health education and promotion. Its first money came from BDTA, and after a few months I had to take on the function of Hon. Treasurer. Money was an early problem, and I even had to loan about £500 to the Foundation.

I remained involved until after I retired from the trade and was the first non-dentist chairman. BDHF has always given me great pleasure because it has attracted wonderful dentists as active participants. Many of them have become good friends.

The Way Ahead

I was always trying to look ahead, and it seemed important to stimulate the profession to look ahead to the dental needs of the future and the way their practice should develop. Thus, in 1991, at about the time I retired, a great illustrated book was published by J & S Davis, with a supporting video, which pictured the practices of the future.