Dental Tribune South African Edition

8 International News Dental Tribune South African Edition - October 2013 FDI President Dr Tin Chun Wong officially began her two-year term on 30 August after a brief handover ceremony. A symbolic handover took place two days earlier during the official 2103 Welcome Ceremony. She takes over from outgoing President Dr Orlando Monteiro da Silva (Portugal). Dr Wong has played a key role within the FDI Council and Standing Committees over more than two decades. She was Chair of the 83rd Annual World Dental Congress held in Hong Kong in 1995. FDI General Assembly 2013 - Corrigendum Dr Wong is a former President of the Hong Kong Dental Association and of the Hong Kong Society of Orthodontists. She has been a Member of the Dental Council of Hong Kong since 1996 and is former Chair of its Preliminary Investigation Committee on Professional Conduct. Dr Wong carried out her dental and orthodontic training in London, and has been in private orthodontic practice in Hong Kong since 1981. She is married to an architect with whom she has three children. DT FDI President Dr Orlando Monteiro da Silva hands over the FDI Presidency to Dr Tin Chun Wong at the FDI Annual World Dental Congress Welcome Ceremony, 28 August 2013. Dental Tribune International HOUGHTON, Mich., USA: In order to lower the failure rate of dental implants, a team of researchers from the U.S. is currently investigating a new nanomaterial that may help fight bacterial infections after implant placement and improve bone healing around the implant. The researchers believe that their invention could help dental implants last a lifetime. In collaboration with dental experts from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Dr. Tolou Shokuhfar, assistant professor at Michigan Technological University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering– Engineering Mechanics, is currently working on an inexpensive and easy-to-produce dental implant surface made of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotubes. She has been researching the use of the nanomaterial for several years and has demonstrated that bone cells growth faster and adhere better to titanium coated with TiO2 nanotubes than to conventional titanium surfaces. Her research has also shown that nanotubes can be used as a drug delivery system to release naproxen sodium, an anti-inflammatory drug, gradually after surgery, reducing the risk of the unpleasant side effects that arise when drugs are injected orally. In another study conducted by Shokuhfar New nanotechnology may help provide longer-lasting dental implants involving orthopedic and dental implants, TiO2nanotubes were laced with silver nanoparticles. Owing to the antimicrobial properties of silver, the material proved to be effective in preventing biofilms, which are increasingly recognized as an important issue in dental health care, as they can cause serious infections, particularly around medical implants. As the material is transparent, it also holds cosmetic advantages. Furthermore, Shokuhfar expects that TiO2 nanotube implants will be easily accepted on the market because they would have the same appearance as conventional titanium implants. "A surgeon would not have to do anything different," she said. According to a press release issued by Michigan Technological University, the researchers have received a provisional patent and are currently working with two hospitals to develop the technology further. The research article, titled "Intercalation of Anti-inflammatory Drug Molecules within TiO2 Nanotubes," was published in the October issue of the RSC Advances journal. The article "Biophysical Evaluation of Osteoblasts on TiO2 Nanotubes" is currently under revision for the Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine journal. The paper "Survivability of TiO2 Nanotubes on the Surface of Bone Screws" has been accepted by the Surface Innovations journal. DT Left: A bone cell anchoring itself to the surface of titanium dioxide nanotubes. Right: A cutaway view of a titanium dioxide nanotube reveals the drug naproxen sodium inside. (Photo courtesy of Michigan Technological University) BANGKOK, Thailand/ ISTANBUL, Turkey: For the third time in five years, the Annual World Dental Congress of the FDI World Dental Federation will be held in an Asian country. An agreement between the Geneva-based dentists’ organisation and the Dental Association of Thailand (DTA) to organise the 2015 edition in Bangkok was at this year's FDI congress in the Turkish capital of Istanbul. It will be the first time that the South-East Asian country will host the prestigious international dental event. According to DTA President-elect Dr Adirek S. Wongsa, who spoke to Dental Tribune on Friday, his organisation has bid to host the congress in Thailand each year since 1999. It will be a unique event that will not only highlight the rapid development of dentistry in Thailand, but also bring all professions in dentistry together, he said. Preparations Thailand wins bid for 2015 FDI Annual World Dental Congress have already commenced and more information will be released in the upcoming months. The congress in Bangkok will follow the 2014 edition, which is being organised by the Indian Dental Association and hosted in New Delhi. The FDI’s most recent congresses in Asia were held in Hong Kong and Singapore. The Korean Dental Association won the bid to organise this year’s congress in Seoul in South Korea but the event there was cancelled, and hosted instead by the Turkish Dental Association last week in Istanbul. The DTA is currently organising its own dental event, the Thailand International Dental Congress, to be held in November this year. According to Wongsa, the event attracts around 3,000 dental professionals each year. Thailand has a workforce of 12,000 dentists. DT The FDI and the Dental Association of Thailand will organise the 2015 congress in collaboration. (Photo: Serban Veres, DTI)