Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

Dental Tribune U.S. Edition | March 2013A2 FROM THE EDITOR IN CHIEF Ad By David L. Hoexter, DMD, FACD, FICD, Editor in Chief I enjoy attending and speaking at dental conferencesasoftenasmyscheduleallows. The big, international events are especially enjoyable, because of the broadened per- spectives gained by being able to interact directly with fellow professionals from across the globe and seeing firsthand some of the latest techniques and technologies in action, perhaps long before they're com- mon practice here. If you haven’t made it yet to the Interna- tional Dental Show held in Colgne, Germa- ny, every other year, I’d strongly encourage you to plan on getting to it at least once. I’ve been able to attend a number of times over the years, and have always felt the effort delivered a strong return on investment. The IDS is the largest dental meeting in the world. More than 120,000 people repre- sentingallsectorsofthedentalfieldattend. Besides the most innovative, newest prod- ucts, the standard and the durable are all on display in a touchable, congenial envi- ronment. It is always held in Cologne, and this year it’s the week of March 12 through 16. Probably a bit too late now to make a last-minute decision to attend this year — but I’d encourage you to pencil in the next one two years from now. The booths in the exhibitareaarethelargest,tallestandmost imaginative you’ll see anywhere, with sev- eral floors of highly creative displays in the individual booths. The broad range of products on display from around the world allows visitors to absorb an overview of global dentistry and its products and ser- vices. One has to be there and see it. All in the oral health field are welcome. Another meeting I’ve had the good for- Big meetings — and a big name in dentistry Dr. Tony Volpe at the 2012 Oral Health America Gala checks out the Vespa raffle prize. Many of you may not realize that this year’s Chicago Midwinter and the Oral Health America Gala carried some extra meaning because they mark the retire- ment of an esteemed colleague, Dr. Tony Volpe, from his position with Colgate-Pal- molive Co., a Diamond-level sponsor of the gala. Tony most recently has been serving as vice president of clinical dental research and scientific affairs at the Colgate-Palmol- iveTechnologyCenterinPiscataway,N.J.He has been a powerful, positive force for our profession for more than 50 years, earning many international honors — as well as the American Dental Association Distin- guished Service Award in 2004. I’m hoping Tony remains active in the profession, con- tinuing with his many other interests, roles and responsibilities; and I look forward to spending time with him at many meetings and conferences to come. tune of attending many times is the Chica- go Dental Society Midwinter Meeting, just held in late February. The Chicago Midwin- ter is preceded by the Oral Health America Gala, a major fund-raising event that sup- ports Oral Health America’s efforts to im- prove access to oral health care and educa- tion in the United States, especially among our most vulnerable populations. Two of many massive booths at IDS 2011: Straumann's, above left, and Hu-Friedy's, above. Pictured are Andrew Xiliase, left, and Dr. David L. Hoexter. Photos/Provided by Dr. David L. Hoexter