Changes?

The arrival of the first issue of Dental Update through my letter box in May 1973 came as a surprise – firstly, because I was not expecting it (as tends to happen with surprises!) and secondly, because the presentation of Dental Update was very different from other journals that I read at that time. It seemed exciting, the articles all had a clinical focus, there were boxes and tables which made the papers easy to read, and advertisements featured too. All remain central to Dental Update 40 years on. At the time of the first issue, Dental Update was a close relation to a journal sent to general medical practitioners, Update, which was founded because the publishers felt the need for a clinical medical journal. I must pay tribute to the late Ted Renson, who saw the need for Dental Update and who was Consultant Editor in the first issue, later moving to be Editorial Director and involved in every issue from the first until he retired in 1996.