Today marks return of FDI Annual World Dental Congress to India

NEW DELHI, India: After a decade, the Annual World Dental Congress of the FDI World Dental Federation makes its first return to India today. Over the next four days, dental professionals, public health stakeholders and the dental industry will come together in Greater Noida near New Delhi to discuss and exchange information on the newest methods and concepts in dentistry, as well as the latest issues and developments concerning oral health. From India alone, the organizers expect more than 10,000 participants to attend the event, which is being held at the India Expo Centre and Mart in Greater Noida, a satellite town with a population of 100,000 outside the Indian capital. They will be joined by hundreds of dental professionals who have come to India from all over the globe. It is the second time that India is hosting the prestigious dental event since 2004. While the country has made large strides since then in the improvement of health and now boasts the world’s largest dental workforce, its population of one billion is plagued by a number of oral diseases, including caries and periodontal disease. There has also been a steep increase in oral cancer cases in the country in recent years (see  interview with congress presenter Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi). In addition to these issues, oral health-related topics will be discussed within a global context. “During the congress, we will be highlighting some of the major issues facing dental practitioners in particular and health services in general. One of these is improving access to oral health care, within the context of oral health as a fundamental right. The other is oral health care for ageing populations, which will be the subject of this year’s World Oral Health Forum under the title ‘Challenges of oral health care in an ageing society’,” FDI President Dr Tin Chun Wong said. She added that congress participants can look forward to a well-thought-out scientific program that covers more than 25 key topics in dentistry, including endodontics, oral medicine, preventive dentistry, practice management, and the latest innovations in imaging and digital dentistry. Papers will be presented by more than 30 distinguished speakers from abroad, as well as 70 outstanding Indian experts. Dental innovations will be on display during the FDI World Dental Exhibition, which will see over 200 dealers and manufacturers from India and abroad showcasing their latest devices and products on the ground floor. The article was published on Dental Tribune International