Worldental Daily, Wednesday, 29 August 2012

01www.fdiworldental.org A s chairperson of the local or- ganising committee, I would like to extend a warm wel- come to you all to Hong Kong on theoccasionofthe2012FDIAnnual World Dental Congress. My col- leagues and I are especially hon- ouredtobehostingthe100th edition of this prestigious event. Hong Kong is a special admin- istrative region of the People’s Republic of China and a world-re- nowned centre of business and commerce. Being international and cosmopolitan, the city offers an in- finitevarietyofthingstoseeanddo in a unique fusion of Eastern and Western heritage and culture. Hong Kong has always kept up with advancing technologies in dental practice in order to meet the constantly evolving needs and demands of the community. As the representative body of the Hong Kong dental profession, the Hong Kong Dental Association has been takingaproactiveroleinpromoting oral health in collaboration with FDI World Dental Federation and local government, as well as estab- lishing an exchange network with ourMainlandcolleaguesandneigh- bouringcountriesorplacesoverthe years. With concerted effort and support, we are delighted to see that significant achievements have been made and we are honoured to be part of the growth of dental development. The 2012 FDI AWDC provides all dental colleagues worldwide with a vibrant platform to update dental knowledge, explore new advances in dental technology and foster closer ties. Numerous eminent speakershavebeeninvitedtoshare their expertise with our congress participants. It will broaden our horizon in unlimited ways. Please join us and take full advantage of the opportunities this special Congress has to offer. IDrSigmundLeung T he FDI has a long and proud history: founded in Paris in 1900, our federation lived, prospered and made its mark on oral health worldwide through the long and sometimes troubled years of the 20th century. One of the reasons behind its original estab- lishment was to organise dental congresses with a focus on dental education, oral hygiene and public dental health and, in general, to resolve issues of complicated cus- toms,regularisetheprofessionand enable progress. Anyone reading the programme for this special, celebratory 100th FDI Annual World Dental Congress cannot fail to be impressed at how close our organisation remains to its founding goals, principles and tradi- tions.Thesamecareaseverhasbeen given to compiling an exceptional scientific programme that addresses themajortopicsandconcernsofden- tal practitioners today, presented by some of the world’s leading clinicians and experts in the field. Always in the vanguard of trends and thinking, the FDI, at this year’s event, is maintaining its focus on the futureroleofdentalmedicine,placing it firmly within the context of public health policy, strategies in fields of public concern such as noncommu- nicable diseases, and the imperative of linking oral health with general health. Just one day before the congress opened,on28August,theFDI’sWorld Dental Parliament—some 300 dele- gates from over 130 national dental associations and specialist groups— convened for its annual plenary session and held a forum on the just-released FDI document titled “Vision 2020: Shaping the future of oral health”. Although congress goers were not party to the FDI parliament debate, they are able to download the document in five languages from the FDI website. It is essential reading for all those interested in the future of dental medicine in the world, the chal- lenges it faces and ideas on how to resolve them. For the FDI and its memberassociationsworldwide,it provides a blueprint for achieving its goals and ambitions. The congress itself is the key event in the organisation’s annual calendar for continuing dental edu- cation: most of the time and in at least one region, the FDI provides continuing education throughout the year. However, the congress brings a unique, international fo- cus, with speakers from every area of the world, the Americas, Africa, South and West Asia, the Asia Pa- cific and Europe. It is a place where ideas are communicated and shared among people from different horizons and where friendships are cemented. Way back in 1922, King Alfonso of Spain, addressing FDI delegates in Madrid,said,“Byyourmeetinghere you men of science are giving a les- son to diplomats. Because, as soon as something can be done for the good of humanity, for you nations no longer exist ( … ) A much higher conception unites you all.” I believe that what he said rings true today. Here we are, men—and women—of science, united under a single banner of “Leading the world to optimal oral health”! I would like to add my voice to that of my colleagues in the local organising committee in wishing youanenrichingandenjoyable2012 FDI Annual World Dental Congress in this great city of Hong Kong. ByDrOrlandoMonteirodaSilva,FDIPresident Unitedunderasinglebannerof “Leadingtheworldtooptimaloralhealth” www.fdi2013istanbul.org congress@fdi2013istanbul.org Bridging Continents for Global Oral Health FDI 2013 Istanbul Annual World Dental Congress 28 to 31 August 2013 - Istanbul, Turkey AD YOUR ANNUAL WORLD DENTAL CONGRESS NEWSPAPER Wednesday, 29 August 2012 FDIWorldentalDaily IDrOrlandoMonteirodaSilva ByDrSigmundLeung,PresidentoftheHKDA andchairpersonofthelocalorganisingcommittee Significantachievements havebeenmade WDDispublishedbytheFDIWorldDentalFederationinpartnershipwithDentalTribuneInternationalGmbH(DTI). FDI Communications Manager: Christopher M. 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While all attempts have been made to ensure the accuracy oftheprovidedinformation,neitherFDInorDTIcanbeheldresponsiblefor any errors or omissions. fdi DentalTribune International GmbH Holbeinstraße 29 04229 Leipzig, Germany Phone: +49 341 48474-302 Fax: +49 341 48474-173 E-mail: info@dental-tribune.com Web: www.dental-tribune.com About the Publisher IDrEricaWheeler,TechnicalOfficeratWHO’sDepartmentforHealthSystemsPolicies andWorkforce,adressingdelegatesoftheWorldOralHealthForumonTuesday.