Dental Technologists Association

The Dental Technologists Association (DTA) is a professional body that represents dental technicians in the United Kingdom.

History
The association was established as the Dental Technicians Education and Training Advisory Board (DTETAB) in 1989 with Colin Lee as chairman. In 2002 DTETAB became the Dental Technicians Association. The final name change came in 2006 when the association became the Dental Technologists Association. Former secretary of the Orthodontic Technicians Association was elected as the first president of the DTA the same year.

Aims
The objectives of the DTA are:
 * To provide an organisation to support the development of the dental technology profession.
 * To encourage and promote education, including continuing professional development (CPD), for dental technicians.
 * To forge links with other bodies and organisations for the benefit of dental technicians and patients.
 * To promote DTA views to government, relevant groups, service providers and the public.
 * To adopt and share best practice enabling dental technology to take a wider participative role in the oral healthcare.
 * To be the forward thinking organisation that advises, develops and supports individual dental technicians.
 * To endeavour to support dental technician members and provide benefits and career opportunities.
 * To maintain and develop the 'job title' and 'function' of dental technicians.
 * To develop and maintain links with other dental technology and Dental Care Professional (DCP) groups as appropriate.
 * To negotiate with appropriate groups on behalf of dental technicians.

Offices
The headquarters of the DTA is 4 Pavilion Court, 600 Pavilion Drive, Brackmills Business Park, Northampton, United Kingdom. The Chief Executive of the asssociation is Sue Adams. She is responsible for the office, administration, support to the sub-committies and provides the first point of contact point for the members.

Council
The DTA council is the governing body of the association. Some council members are elected and the others are appointed by the specialist dental technology groups. The composition of the council is as follows:


 * Eight directly elected dental technicians
 * Five representatives from the specialist dental technology groups

Executive Committee
This committee maintains the development of the council's proposals while the chief executive oversees the day to day administration of the association. The executive committee formally report to council at its twice yearly meetings.

Public Relations
The public relations committee is responsible for raising awareness about the association as well as dental technology generally. Stephen Wears is current chairman of this committee.

Membership Services
The membership services committee is responsible for the development of services for members, such as a legal helpline. Stephen Wears is current chairman of this committee.

Health and Safety
The health and safety committee provide information to members on current health and safety issues.

Education and Training
The education and training committee are responsible for improving standards within education to ensure that the current qualifications meets the needs of the industry. John Stacey is current Chairman of this committee.