Dental Tribune Indian Edition

21Dental Tribune Indian Edition - January 2013 DT Asia Pacific SINGAPORE: Attendance figures for the first CAD/CAM & Compute- rized Dentistry International Confe- rence in the Asia-Pacific region have exceeded original expectations, the Center for Advanced Professional Practices (CAPP) has announced. Ac- cording to its figures, more than 520 dental professionals took part in the event, which was sponsored by major market players and saw 14 lecturers from around the globe presenting in fields like computer-guided surgery and 3D dental imaging. Plans for a follow-up conference in the city-state are already being di- scussed and will be announced in the coming weeks, CAPP officials recen- tly told Dental Tribune Asia Pacific. The event will be held in autumn next year after the organisation’s eighth Dubai congress scheduled for May 2013. CAPP has been organising con- gresses for dental CAD/CAM and computerised dentistry in the emi- rate since 2006. As a spin-off of its successful annual series there, a con- ference was organised for Asian den- tists for the first time this year. Besi- des a three-day scientific programme, it offered a theatre presentation on chairside CAD/CAM-fabricated re- storations, as well as a parallel session that aimed to provide dental techni- cians in the region with an overview of the latest digital technology and guidelines for its use in dental labs. In addition, renowned orthodontist Dr Khaled Abouseada held a workshop on using ClearPath, a US-developed invisible aligner orthodontic the- rapy manufactured and distributed by ClearPath Orthodontics in Saudi Ara- bia, with dental CAD/CAM. Prof. Seung-Pyo Lee and Shin-Eun Nam from South Korea won the po- ster presentation competition with their new method of measuring inter- dental space using 3D virtual models. They competed against fellow resear- chers from South Korea and Malay- sia, who presented latest findings on digital restoration using implant pro- stheses, among other things. “We should all be open to lear- ning about the newest technologies,” Dr Kuan Chee Keong, President of the Singapore Dental Association (SDA), remarked. “CAD/CAM technology is inevitable and it is a very good idea to hold such a conference here.” Keong added that his association will continue to support CAPP’s efforts in Singapore in the years to come. The SDA has worked with the company over the last 12 months to raise awareness of the event among local dentists, who represented more than 40 per cent of the conference attendees. The event also received support by Dental Tribune’s flagship publi- cation DT Asia Pacific, as well as its CAD/CAM international magazine of digital dentistry. CAPP recently partnered with the international den- tal publisher, agreeing to manage it’s operations in the Middle East and Africa.DT Digital dentistry conference draws over 500 to Singapore Business CDO Patrick Tseng (left) getting hands-on with the latest equipment. (Photo courtesy of CAPP Asia, Singapore) CAPP’s Business Development manager Tzvetan Deyanov and Managing Director Dr Dobrina Mollova in talks with DTI publisher and CEO Torsten R Oemus (from left to right). (DTI/Photo Daniel Zimmermann) World Dental Federation faults WHO plans on noncommunicable diseases Daniel Zimmermann DTI GENEVA, Switzerland: The FDI World Dental Federation has issued concerns about a number of action documents recently made public by the World Health Organization with regard to noncommunicable disea- ses (NCDs). In a statement released on its website, the dentists’ organi- sation criticised the documents for not paying sufficient attention to oral diseases, which it says should be classified as a key NCD by the WHO, along with cancer, diabetes, as well as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. In a circular note, the FDI also called upon its members to con- tact their respective national health officials immediately to ensure that the issue of oral health will be in- cluded in the upcoming WHO con- sultations on the plan, as well as the organisation’s next executive board meeting in January. According to the WHO sources, the draft is to be discussed during an informal consul- tation in Geneva in early November, which will involve member states and several UN agencies. Published on 12 October, the pa- per “Global action plan for the pre- vention and control of noncommuni- cable diseases 2013–2020” identifies the threat of NCDs to achieving health-related development goals in low- and middle-income countries and provides recommendations on addressing the situation over the next seven years. NCDs currently account for 36 million deaths worldwide each year with the majority to be occurring in less developed countries, according to Geneva-based organisation. While admitting to current con- straints of the WHO, the FDI said in its statement that the leadership role of the WHO is essential to keeping oral health a priority in the fight against NCDs. It stated that it had addressed a formal request to the organisation for the inclusion of oral health in its next general programme of work, which will determine the WHO’s expenditu- re and goals over the next five to six years. “WHO recognition of oral disease is essential to support and consolida- te the significant role the dental pro- fession plays in the prevention and control of NCDs,” FDI President Or- lando Monteiro da Silva told Dental Tribune. “WHO is a governmental organization so, while FDI can mo- nitor and advise, governments alone are in a position to change WHO strategy and policy. That is why we are calling upon our member dental associations to contact their natio- nal government and ensure the oral health message is communicated within WHO.” The FDI has been lobbying hea- vily for the inclusion of oral diseases in the WHO’s list of NCDs for ye- ars. In February 2011, for example, Executive Director Jean-Luc Eiselé spearheaded a submission by the World Health Professions Alliance (WHPA) during a civil society hea- ring at the UN headquarters in New York, stating that oral diseases share common risk factors with existing NCDs and have a major impact on society. The federation is also offering an NCD toolkit for both patients and health professionals, which features a health improvement card, among other things, as part of the larger NCD cam- paign conducted in partnership with the WHPA.DT WHO’s Global Action Plan on NCDs pays only lip service to oral health, according to the FDI.