FDI WorlDental Daily 29 Aug

Science & Practice Thursday, 29 August 2013 I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all the parties in- volved for giving me the opportu- nity to make a presentation at the 2013 AWDC in Istanbul. My presenta- tion on behalf of the Japan Dental As- sociation at this year’s FDI Annual World Dental Congress is dedicated to the dentists in Japan who continue topractiseunderverydifficultcircum- stances as the Japanese society is ageingatthefastestrateintheworld. Thespeedofageingisthenumber of years it takes for the percentage of the population that is 65 years of age oroldertogofrom7to14percent.For example, in France the aged popula- tion reached 7 per cent in 1864. It took 115 years to reach 14 per cent. In comparison, it only took Japan 24 years to go from 7 per cent in 1970 to 14 per cent in 1994. The unique phe- nomenon of Japan’s rapid ageing re- sulted from the extraordinary in- crease in average life expectancy. In 1950, the average life expectancy for men in Japan was approximately 60 years of age; it was 83 only 60 years later. The problem with this develop- ment is that healthy life expectancy has not kept pace with the rapidly in- creasing average life expectancy. HealthylifeexpectancyinJapanis72, and statistics show that there are many elderly people who require nursing for ten years or more after they have reached that age. This places a huge burden not only on these individuals, but also on their families and society as a whole. Priortothisincreaseintheelderly population, the Japan Dental Associ- ation started the 8020 movement in order to contribute to a more healthy ageing society by helping people over the age of 80 retain at least 20 functionalteeth.Whatwasdecisively lacking in 1988, however, was re- search verifying that elderly people withmanyfunctionalteethweretruly healthy. In response to that lack of knowledge, several cohort studies were initiated to seek evidence that could support 8020. In my presenta- tion, I will give representative exam- ples of the findings of these studies. When I was elected President of theJapanDentalAssociationin2006, I committed to helping dentists and dental associations understand the true significance of 8020. We should view the fundamental importance of oralhealthanddentistryasaphiloso- phy. Of course, we must obtain nutri- tion by consuming food like every otheranimalonthisplanet.Aphiloso- pher friend of mine once said, “Living is continuing to eat”. For humans, however, living has many meanings. The scientific name for humans is Homosapiens(human+wise)andthe evidence of this wisdom is the use of language. I consider the definition of “human with language” (Homo lo- quens) as more appropriate for hu- mans because people can use lan- guagetoimprovetheirlivesandliveli- hoods. I think my colleagues from aroundtheworldattendingtheAWDC will agree that the first goal of den- tistry is to sustain and enhance oral function, which is fundamental to hu- manlife,untilpeoplereachtheendof their life. Dr Mitsuo Okubo is the president of the Japan Dental Association. Today, he will be presenting a paper titled “Dentistry in an aged society” during one of the afternoon sessions as part of the 2013 FDI AWDC scientific pro- gramme. Ahugeburden forindividualsandsociety 6 www.fdiworldental.org VITA ENAMIC® Dayanıklılığı yeniden tanımlıyor.* Çiğneme kuvvetlerini en iyi şekilde absorbe eden çift katmanlı ağ yapılı ilk hibrit seramik! VITA ENAMIC, sertliği esneklikle kombine edip çiğneme kuvvetlerini en iyi şekilde absorbe ederek, dayanıklılık konusunda yeni standartlar belirler. VITA ENAMIC kli- nikler ile laboratuarlara optimum seviyede güven ve ekonomik işlenebilme özelliklerini temin eder. Hasta- En başarılı olmanın formülü: Sertlik + Esneklik = Güvenilirlik² 3411TR lar ise VITA ENAMIC malzemesini doğala özdeş dişleri olarak algılar. VITA ENAMIC, özellikle molar dişlerdeki kron uygulamalarında ve minimum prepare edilmiş restorasyonlar için uygundur. Daha ayrıntılı bilgi için: www.vita-enamic.com facebook.com/vita.zahnfabrik DIS-MAT A.S. Rumeli Cad.Silahtar Han No. 53 Kat.3-4 3-4 Osmanbey/Istanbul Tel: 0212-343 8173 · Faks: 0212-343 8167 www.dismat.com · info@dismat.com *)Yenilikçi hibrit seramik yüksek elastikiyet dışında, adeziv uygulamadan sonra çok yüksek bir dayanıklılığa sahip olur. AD ByDrMitsuoOkubo,Japan IDrMitsuoOkubo,Japan