On Friday 12 September, delegates assembled for the 2nd UK Sports Dentistry Association Conference, held in Manchester. ‘Sports dentistry?!' I hear you cry. Well, yes. Think about it – cricket, rugby, boxing – all athletes susceptible to a blow to the face. But there are bigger factors in play here. Most of us would have read Needleman et al.'s paper on oral health and impact on performance of athletes participating in the London 2012 Olympic Games.1 High-performance athletes need to shovel thousands of calories a day into their body just to keep up with their training programmes, and not all of this is good news for their oral health. Carbohydrates, sugars, energy drinks and gels, sweets – a necessity for them. For me, it wasn't an area of dentistry I was overly familiar with, so I was excited and curious to find out more.

And as it turns out, what a wonderful area of the profession it is.

The day started with a welcome from Chair Peter Fine and was expertly MC'd throughout the day by committee member John Haughey. Anni Seaborne kicked off the day with an insightful talk about her journey into the field of sports dentistry, the work she does and the importance of education which, as it turned out, would be a stream throughout the day. Sports nutritionist David Dunne joined via video link – he was with the European Ryder Cup team, a valid excuse for not being in person if ever I've heard one – who hammered home the point that athletes need products adverse to their oral health just to sustain performance and asking them to remove them would be ‘problematic'. Know your audience, David.

Sports dentist Julie Gallagher followed with some thought-provoking takes on the need for risk management in the field of sports nutrition and hydration rather than changing advice given to athletes by nutritionists. Julie also highlighted that sports dentists work for free and donate their time – a wild concept, given how valuable they are to those who need it. I guess it's like travel insurance – you only realise its value when you need it. Imogen Johnson followed with a presentation on oral health in ballet – again, not a link I would have made. Imogen's unique and one-of-one; she's the only dental therapist in the country with a Master's in Sports Dentistry.

Rebecca Robinson, Lancashire Cricket medic who has previously worked with UK Sports Institute and the Lawn Tennis Association, was the penultimate speaker of the day, with Saracens and England prop Elizabeth Crake – also a qualified dentist – finishing the day with a fascinating insight from an athlete's perspective – as well as one from the dental chair! Quite a hard balance to strike.

Dinner followed, but it's fair to say the main course was served up by the England T20 side, who smashed a whopping 304 against South Africa in 20 overs. While I had other plans, delegates enjoyed the fantastic display of hitting, witnessing history in the making.

All in all, an excellent day, venturing into a section of the profession which does some incredible work. It's also an area the BDJ is delighted to feature in a forthcoming themed issue, so keep your eyes peeled for that. I cannot wait for the third iteration of the conference in 2026!