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News Thursday & Friday, 24–25 September 2015 I Worldental Daily: Dr Hescot, as the new FDI President, what is the first message you would like to share with dentists around the world? Dr Patrick Hescot: The first point I would like to make is that FDI is a federation of dental associations. It was created by dentists and one of its principal aims is to work on their behalf and deliver their point of view atinternationallevel,especiallywith- intheUnitedNationsanditsagencies such as the World Health Organiza- tion (WHO). It is also there to promote the in- terests of dentists and their respon- sibility for oral health when subjects under debate are likely to have a direct impact on dentists and their ability to carry out their work effec- tively. What are the major differences youseeinthepracticeofdentistryin the last few years? I think the main differences must be apparent to the thousands of peo- plewhohavevisitedFDIinternational exhibitions over the years. The use of highly advanced, complex and ex- pensivetechnologyindentalpractice has significantly increased. This all very much to the benefit of the patient. Indeed high-tech has become very much part of the patient’s expecta- tions.Fromthatperspective,theden- tist is also called upon to become a super-technician,constantlyupdating his or her expertise in the light of new equipment. This naturally has major implicationsforcontinuingeducation, and opportunities from the Annual World Dental Congress. And what about the dentist’s role in prevention? Prevention has always been key element of the dentist’s work, a fact that was recognised in a message from the WHO Director General Dr Margaret Chan in a message to theopeningofthe2012AnnualWorld Dental Congress in Hong Kong. She said: “The dental profession is a highly-respected member of the pub- lic health family. After all, dentistry pioneered the concept of preventive medicine.” This is simple recognition of what has been a clear philosophy of dentists from the early days of the founding of FDI . What is your perspective of the role of dentistry in the modern world? I think that it is important to stress that the dentist is not only a medical practitioner. He or she is also a major contributor to society as a whole in terms of human wellbeing, confidence and quality of life. One of the three key elements of the dentist’s contribution will continue to be prevention through good oral hygiene and regular dental check-ups. In some countries, espe- cially those with lower income and limitedaccesstodentists,prevention and good oral hygiene are the only options. The other two are maintenance and restoration. Even with preven- tion, some patients are more likely than others to require treatment and follow-up due for example, to acci- dents, genetic pre-dispositions or to the presence of other conditions im- pacting oral health. Can you give a specific example? Anexamplethathasbeenraisedin the past few years is population age- ing and the implications of good oral healthandhygieneinthelaterstages of life. A good dentition throughout life allows people to continue enjoy- ing a good quality of life derived in part from their ability to chew and swallowthefoodandmaintainagood level of nutrition. In Japan, one of the world’s most ageing societies, the distinction is made between years of life and healthyyearsoflife.Adistinctfeature of those healthy years is oral health. And those healthy years are also years of independence. In recent lec- tures I have given on the subject of ageing and oral health, I have high- lighted efforts by dentists in France to encourage care facilities to de- velop oral health care strategies and access to care for their residents. It is well known that poor oral health is a key contributing factor to mal- nutrition among the elderly. The new ‘Oral Health for an Ageing Population Partnership’is an exciting new devel- opment in this respect. Doyouthinkthereismoreaware- ness about the importance of oral health? Forhigh-incomeandsomemiddle- income countries this might be true owing to several factors that include marketing and access to oral health products and the impact of a poor dentitionontheindividualintermsof self-confidence and career opportu- nities. There are also special efforts by dentists at national level to raise awareness through day, week or month-long oral health campaigns. World Oral Health Day, an FDI initia- tive, is fast becoming a key part of worldwide efforts to deliver impor- tant messages about oral health to members of the general public. You are beginning your two-year term as FDI president. What will be your focus? My primary focus will be to strengthen and expand FDI advocacy at national, regional and interna- tional level. This means reinforcing its own resources for advocacy and providing advocacy toolkits for its memberstosupporttheirinteractions at national level with public authori- ties and the general public. FDI is and will remain the voice of dentists worldwideandaforumforconsensus on the science, art and practice of dentistry. Thank you very much for the interview. 1 “The dentist is a healer; his business lies with a very small portion of the human frame, but that portion, though small, is still human; it has its diseases and fail- ings, and the dentist has to cure these— bringingin,wheneverpossible,thatbest of cures, prevention.” 1901, Sir Michael Foster, Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge (UK). Opening of the First General Meeting of FDI. Or “The chief and foremost function of the dentist is to care for the teeth, and just to the extent that he is able to do this successfully, to the same extent he will be able to prevent diseases of the con- tiguous parts, and to aid in preserving thehealthandvigourofthewholebody.” DrWilloughbyDaytonMiller,FDIPresident 1905–1907 6 www.fdiworldental.org www.fdiworldental.org/oral-health-atlas The Oral Health Atlas SECOND EDITION A CALL FOR GLOBAL ACTION CHALLENGE ORAL DISEASE The of Oral health is essential to general health and quality of life. WHO fact sheet on oral health, 2012 AD IDrPatrickHescot Dentists: A major contributor to society AninterviewwithFDIPresidentDrPatrickHescot WDD0315_06_Hescot 16.09.15 11:33 Seite 1 WDD0315_06_Hescot 16.09.1511:33 Seite 1