Constitution
Constitution for: The British Association for Forensic Odontology
1 The name of the Association shall be the British Association for Forensic Odontology,
hereinafter referred to as the Association.
2 Aims of the Association
The aims of the Association are:
• To provide a forum for all those interested in forensic odontology
• To foster interest in, and encourage an objective scientific approach to the subject
of forensic odontology
• To support continuing education in forensic odontology
• To represent the views of its members
3 Membership
3.1 There shall be the following categories of membership:
A. FULL MEMBERS – restricted to those holding a UK registrable qualification in dental
surgery, and those invited to full membership by the committee by virtue of their standing
and reputation in allied fields
B. HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS – those who have shown distinction in forensic
odontology or allied fields, by majority agreement of the committee
C. DENTAL CARE PROFESSIONALS (DCP) MEMBERS – those who hold a registrable dental care professional qualification
D. ASSOCIATE MEMBERS – any person who has a professional interest in forensic
odontology
3.2 Application for membership shall be submitted to the Association and thence be
considered by the Committee.
3.3 Full & DCP members who have paid their annual subscription and honorary life
members shall be entitled to vote at any General Meeting. (See General Meetings).
3.4 Annual subscriptions fall due on the 01 January and should be paid by the 31st of
January, the amount to be determined at a General Meeting. Subscriptions for new
members are due upon acceptance and thence annually on the first of January.
3.5 The membership of any member whose subscription falls into arrears by one month
will be terminated automatically. Reinstatement of membership is at the discretion of, and
under such terms as agreed by, the Committee, who also reserve the right to refuse this
privilege. (See The Committee).
3.6 Membership of the Association or its Committee does not constitute any form of
professional qualification and no such claim or inference must be made.
3.7 The acronym BAFO is not to be used as a post-nominal worldwide.
4 Termination of Membership
4.1 The Committee shall have the power to terminate the membership of, and
expel, any member who has been considered to:
A. have brought the profession in general, or the Association, into disrepute, and or;
B. has acted in such a way as adversely to affect the running of the Association, as
determined by the majority of the committee.
This is subject to the right of the individual concerned to make representations
to the Committee.
4.2 Reasons for consideration of disrepute shall include, but not be limited to,
adverse reports from the GDC, Police, Coroner, Solicitor, or other relevant professional
associations, and inappropriate statements on any social media or other public forums.
4.3 A member expelled from the Association by a committee decision has the
right to appeal at the next committee meeting, following which a majority
agreement by ballot shall be required for membership to be reinstated or not.
5 The Committee
5.1 The Committee shall consist of the following Officers:
A. The PRESIDENT, who:
. Shall be a full member of the Association
. Shall have worked as a GDC registered Dental Surgeon in the UK for a minimum of 10
years. This can be any combination of working within: General Practice (NHS/PVT),
Hospital / University, Community, Armed Forces or HM Prison service
. Shall have worked as an Odontologist for at least 5 years
. Shall have served on the BAFO Committee in at least one electable position and one
other position, e.g. co-opted member, which do not need to be in succession
B. The PRESIDENT ELECT, who will be elected one year before taking office as President
C. The IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
D. The SECRETARY who must also hold a qualification in Dental Surgery
E. The TREASURER
F. The MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY
G. Four ORDINARY MEMBERS
H. All other PAST PRESIDENTS, who will be ex officio with no voting rights on the
Committee
5.2 Positions A-G (except the Immediate Past President – C) are by election at a
General Meeting. If there are no applicants for a position, an EGM must be held as soon as
reasonably possible. (See General Meetings).
5.3 The Committee may invite any members of the Association to be co-opted onto the
Committee. These will remain for one year but may be re-co-opted as required. Voting rights
limited to their co-opted role.
5.4 Committee Members who are absent from more than two consecutive meetings may,
following investigation into their reasons for non-attendance, be subject to removal from the
committee by a majority vote at a Subsequent Committee Meeting.
5.5 Where it is deemed to be in the best interests of the Association, the Committee
maintains the right to remove a Committee Member from their post by a majority vote. The
Committee may then co-opt an interim Committee Member until the next Annual General
Meeting.
5.6 A quorum at a Committee Meeting shall consist of a minimum of five elected
Committee Members.
6 Tenure of Office
6.1 The tenure of the President shall be for two years with one re-election
(consecutively or not) allowed, after which, they may not seek re-election to this office for
a period of three years.
6.2 The tenure of Officers (Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary) shall be for two
years, with one consecutive re-election allowed, after which, they may not seek re-election
to the same office for a period of two years.
6.3 The tenure of Ordinary Members shall be for two years, with one consecutive re-election
allowed after which, they may not seek re-election to the same office for a period of
two years.
An Ordinary Member may choose to apply for an upcoming officer position midterm. Should
they decide to do so, they must inform the Committee in advance so their current position
can be presented to the membership as an additional one-year Ordinary Member term
alongside other available positions. If the member is not elected to the officer role, they
should be aware that they will lose their position on the committee if other members are
elected to the additional one-year term.
NB: Applicants can only apply for a maximum of one position at any given General meeting.
7 General Meetings
7.1 A quorum at a General Meeting shall consist of twice the number of elected
Committee Members present, plus one. Members who are unable to attend a General
Meeting may be counted as part of that quorum provided that they have appointed a proxy
(who will be present at the General Meeting) and given written authority for that person so
to act. This authority should be in the hands of the Secretary at least one day prior to the
General Meeting.
7.2 At any General Meeting it is forbidden for members to record or publicly report the
proceedings without prior permission from the Committee.
Annual General Meetings:
7.3 An Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be called, not more than fourteen months
after the date of the previous AGM.
7.4 Notice of the intention to call an AGM shall be served on the membership at least
twenty-eight days before the date thereof. Any requests or items to be discussed, should be
received by the Secretary no later than seven days before the AGM.
7.5 Any urgent matters affecting the Association or Forensic Odontology may be entered
as late as the day of the AGM.
7.6 Any other proposal, not notified as above, will be considered under ‘Any Other
Business’ but may require later consideration by the committee or be voted upon at a
subsequent General Meeting.
7.7 Applications by members for positions of Office, proposed and seconded by full
members of the Association, shall be in the hands of the Secretary at least one week prior to
the AGM. These should be submitted by the applicant.
7.8 The President shall present their report for the previous year. The Treasurer shall
present the current state of accounts for the approval of the members present at the AGM.
Extraordinary General Meetings:
7.9 An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) must be arranged by the Secretary within
twenty-eight days of receipt of such a request from a full or honorary life member where
supported by at least nine further full/honorary and or DCP members.
7.10 If an elected Committee position remains unfilled following an AGM, an EGM will be
held as soon as reasonably practical. The Secretary will give the membership twenty-eight
days’ notice of the proposed date of the EGM and any application for the available position/s,
duly proposed and seconded by full members of the Association, should be in the hands of
the Secretary no less than seven days prior to the given date.
8 Changes to the Constitution
8.1 Changes to the Constitution may only be made at a General Meeting. Any proposed
amendments must be in the hands of the Secretary before the notices are sent out and those
proposals shall accompany the notice of the meeting.
9 BAFO Conferences or Scientific Meetings
9.1 At Scientific Meetings/Conferences organised by BAFO, it is not permitted for
presentations to be recorded or photographs taken of the screen, or published or
used in any other manner, without prior permission from the author(s).
10 Dissolution of the Association
10.1 In the event of the dissolution of the Association, any funds remaining
shall be donated to a charity/charities as chosen by the Committee.
11 Caveat
11.1 Any matter not provided for in the foregoing may be decided at the discretion of the Committee.