Dr Arif Alvi Becomes ... Continued from front page himself along with all his siblings, and children are dentists. It is an interesting fact indeed! Despite the dedicated interest in dentistry, his persona decidedly remained political. Pres. Alvi has had an extensive career in politics, which only recently reached its peak. Alvi started off in the field some five decades ago; as the President of student union at de'Montmorency College of Dentistry, an affiliate of University of Punjab in Lahore, he was an active member of the students' wing of Jamaat- i-Islami. During the military regime of Gen Ayub Khan, Alvi, then a student, played a notable role by standing up for democracy in the country by taking part in various student rallies. An interesting fact about Alvi from those days is that he was shot during one of the demonstrations at The Mall, in Lahore; and to date he carries the bullet embedded in his right arm, as an insignia of pride on contributing to the struggle for democracy in Pakistan. He was the Jamaat-e-Islami candidate for Provincial Assembly in Karachi in 1979. However, the elections were not held. In his younger days, Alvi also engaged in playing sports, like squash, cricket, and hockey. His fervour for politics was boundless, yet he remained loyal to his profession of dentistry. He chaired the 1st Pakistan International Dental Conference in the year 1981. In 1987, he again chaired the 3rd Pakistan International Dental Conference, which was inaugurated by PM Junejo. Dr Alvi served as the Editor in Chief for the Journal of Pakistan Dental Association from 1985 to 1988, and was elected as the President of Pakistan and Dental Association in 1997, where he served for over 4 years. Currently, he is the Dean of the Faculty of Orthodontics of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan. His benefitting work in dentistry went beyond the border, and established his name and label on the international horizon. Based on his exceptional feats in academic and clinical fields, Dr Alvi was awarded Fellowships of The Pierre Fauchard Academy, International College of Dentists, The American College of Dentists, and International College of Continuing Dental Education. He was elected as the President of Asia Pacific Dental Federation, in the year 2006. The same year, he was the chairman at the Asia Pacific Dental Congress. Dr Alvi did his country proud by forming the first ever Pakistani representation at the Fédération Dentaire Internationale (FDI) forum; after being elected by 103 countries, he served on the FDI council from 2007-2010. A dentist by profession, one of the co-founders of PTI, and a co-author of PTI's constitution, Dr Arif Alvi contested in General Elections Pakistan for Sindh Assembly seats, in 1997, but remained unsuccessful. The 2002 Elections did not reap much for him 2018 Pakistan Edition DENTAL TRIBUNE 15 September either, but he remained on the journey, refusing to label mere stumbles as failures. Being a resolute and committed PTI member, he steadily ascended within the party. From being on the party's executive council in 1996, he became the party's President in Sindh, in 1997. In 2001, he was promoted to the post of PTI's Vice President, following which he was designated the position of party's secretary general in 2006, to which he remained dedicated to until 2013. By the time of General Elections 2013, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) had established itself as a renowned political party dedicated to make the much desired flip; to bring about the change that would free the society from a corrupt, oppressive system. That year, PTI could not win the mandate, but several PTI leaders made the cut to General and Provincial Assemblies. Among these was Dr Alvi who won from the NA-250 constituency of Karachi. During his term, Alvi made it his purpose to make improvements in education, and the living standards of his people. He targeted many schools, hospitals, and other civil structures. The highlights include dental education and health awareness programmes, renovation of several educational institutions, improving security conditions, alleviating poverty, ration distribution among the less privileged. Correction of civil administration was his area of focus wherein he undertook the issues of security, water supply and conservation, tanker Mafia, street/traffic Lights, encroachments, garbage disposal, playgrounds, schools etc. Being a healthcare provider, and a public's man, welfare remained his strong suit. Dr Alvi is involved in several philanthropic movements. His contributions to this cause include the trusteeship of Safiya Azimuddin Charitable Trust and ShirinBai Jinnah Charitable Trust, of ShirinBai Jinnah Charitable Trust and of ShirinBai Jinnah Charitable Trust which was established by Shirinbai Jinnah (Quaid-e-Azam's siter) to which she gifted all her material possessions, including the Mohatta Palace in Karachi. Dr Alvi is also involved in the running of Alvia Trust. In the general election of July 25 2018, Dr Arif Alvi won a National Assembly seat, after over 91,000 people who stood for change voted for him. The presidential elections were held on September 5th 2018, in which Dr Arif Alvi defeated Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarian's candidate Aitzaz Ahsan, and Pakistan Muslim League- N's nominee Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman, to assume the position of the 13th President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pres. Dr Arif Alvi is happily married to Samina Alvi. Together, they have four children, all of which are married, and settled with their families. Dr Alvi is deeply attached his grandchildren, tremendously enjoys their company. He considers them as one of the greatest joys and pleasures of his life. Dr Alvi is involved in the running of two major dental clinics, both of which are located in Karachi. FDI WDC 2018 Continued from front page representative of PDA, Pakistan. Dental Tribune, the Media Partner of FDI set up its booth at the event, where its publications were showcased. The DN stall had several distinguished visitors on all four days. Many Pakistani faces were also seen in attendance, at the congress. Prior to and during the main congress, several meetings of the FDI delegates were held including the FDI Open Fora, FDI Membership Liaison and Support Committee (MLSC) meeting, meetings of the various Regional Dental Federations including the Asia Pacific Dental Federations (APDF / APDC, meeting of the Women Dentists Worldwide Forum (WDWF), meeting of the World Oral Health Day (WOHD) Launch. Two General Assemblies of the FDI were held to take key decisions on various issues and guidelines governing and influencing the science, education and practice related to dental healthcare services. The General Assembly (GA) is the FDI's supreme legislative and governing body. Notable outcomes of the proceedings in Buenos Aires also included the welcoming of new FDI member associations. The FDI Council leads the FDI in line with its vision mission; it is comprised of the FDI President, President-elect, Treasurer, and 10 Councillors. In this year's congress, the GA adopted 10 policy statements: 1.(Deep) dentine caries and restorative care 2.Continuing dental medical education in dentistry 3.Dental amalgam phase down 4.Dentistry and oral health related apps 5.Dentistry and sleep-related breathing disorders 6.Global periodontal health 7.Nanoparticles in dental practice 8.Providing basic oral healthcare for displaced persons 9.National health policy with the inclusion of oral health 10. Promoting oral health through fluoride toothpaste The new and revised policy statements will be soon available for consultation through the FDI website. It is to note that the FDI policy statements, which detail FDI's position on issues of interest within the oral health community, are put together through consultation, discussion and consensus among leading dental experts from around the world. A key publication that was launched during the Congress was the Second edition of the Dental Ethics Manual with its full version available on the FDI website. DAY 1- Among the many speakers to speak were Prof. Papa Ibrahima Ngom from Senegal who discussed the 'Orthodontic Management of a Missing Tooth in Developing Countries'; Dr Paulo Kano from Brazil who talked about 'Aesthetic Dentistry, and Use of CAD/CAM'; Prof Ece Eden from Turkey lectures on 'Early Childhood Caries: Problems of the very Young and Role of the Family'. The subjects that were touched during the Hot Topic Session were 'Future of Dental Materials, Minamata and the Impact on Dental,' 'New Material & New Challenges in Reconstructive Dentistry', and 'Bioactive Dental Materials'. Two Meet the Expert sessions were held by Dr Daniel Paesani from Argentina and Dr U?ur Ergin from Turkey, respectively. The topics were 'All You Want to Know about Bruxism' and 'Update on Cement'. DAY 2- The two Meet the Expert sessions were directed by Dr Lars Christensen and Prof. Marco Ferrari, their subjects being 'Are we Ready to Go Digital in Orthodontics?', and 'Adhesive Dentistry', respectively. An important highlight of the day was the session held by Women Dentists Worldwide Forum. It covered subjects like 'Breastfeeding and laser in Odontopediatry', 'Dental Care and Oral Health for Achieving Healthy Longevity in An Aging Society', 'Tooth Bleaching and Its Undesirable Effects', 'Treatment Care of 21st Century with Implants', and 'The Usefulness of Plasma Rich Fibrin (i-PRF) in the Treatment of TMD Painful Conditions'. DAY 3- The Ninth Annual Alliance for a Cavity-Free Future Global Summit was also held on the third day, where in subjects like 'Catalyzing Change in Education, Policy and Practice', 'Towards Paying for Health in Dentistry: Policy Lab Update-The Next Steps', and 'Towards Paying for Health in Dentistry: Policy Lab Update-The Process This Year', were addressed. F I N A L D A Y - S y m p o s i u m 'Contemporary Treatment of Caries Lesions' was held on the fourth day of the conference, where Prof. Jo Frencken from Netherlands, Prof. Soraya Coelho Leal from Brazil, Dr Edward Lo from China, and Dr Nicola Innes from UK spoke on the subjects of caries detection methods, caries preventative measures, carious tissue removal techniques, and treatments for carious lesions, respectively. After congress hours, WDC attendees w e r e o ff e r e d a r i c h c u l t u r a l entertainment program, starting with the engaging and welcoming opening ceremony. At Buenos Aires Night, participants experienced the delights of Argentine beef, so essential to traditional cuisine, regional wine and the sensual tango. On the last evening of the congress, a glamorous gala dinner was hosted at the architecturally beautiful Palacio San Miguel. The 2019 WDC will take place from 5 to 8 September at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, U.S. The American Dental Association, which will host the event in cooperation with FDI.