BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: From 5th to 8th September, the capital of Buenos Aires was the meeting point for dental professionals from around the world. According to FDI, close to 8000 participants from 130 countries travelled to South America to make use of the numerous opportunities to learn and network at the 106th World Dental Congress (WDC). Among the highlights were papers by key opinion leaders and the state-of-the-art dental technology on display at the industry exhibition. In total, over 150 speakers held lectures across the four days of congress. In order to facilitate accessibility, most lectures were simultaneously interpreted or available on screen in both English and Spanish. The event officially opened with traditional dances, speeches and a warm welcome by FDI President Dr Kathryn Kell.
Vice chairman APDF, Dr Asif Niaz Arain and Professor Dr. Fazal Ghani, Head of Prosthodontics Department, Dean Postgraduate Dental Sciences and Coordinator International, Peshawar Dental College (Pakistan), who was awarded the FDI’s Travel Grant’18 was present at the event as the representative of PDA, Pakistan.
Dental News, 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:
- (Deep) dentine caries and restorative care
- Continuing dental medical education in dentistry
- Dental amalgam phase down
- Dentistry and oral health related apps
- Dentistry and sleep-related breathing disorders
- Global periodontal health
- Nanoparticles in dental practice
- Providing basic oral healthcare for displaced persons
- National health policy with the inclusion of oral health
- 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 Uğur Ergin from Turkey, respectively. The topics were ‘All You Want to Know about Bruxism’ and ‘Update on Cement’.
The workshops were conducted by Ultradent, 3 Shape, Clear Smile, and Dental Medrano that continued from 10am to 6:30pm local time. These workshops focused on the subjects including ‘Clearing Myths & Realities’, ‘Introduction to Digital Printing, 3 Shape Clinical Cases & Integrations’, ‘Virtual Planning of Digital Design of Smile 3d/Motivational Mokup-Dental Alignment’, and ‘Aesthetics with Composite Resin: Strategies to Achieve Success’, respectively.
DAY 2-
The workshops were conducted by Angelus, Proaltec, Dis Den, and Roncoapnea. The subjects touched were ‘Fiber Posts; Step by Step to Achieve Predictable Results’, ‘Bone Regeneration’, ‘Orthodontics in the Preadolescent Child. What are your Goals and ‘What can we Achieve with an Early Treatment?’, and ‘Snoring and Apneas of Sleep. Treatment with Mandibular Advancement Devices’.
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.
During the Hot Topic Session Prof. Roland Frankenberger from Germany lectured on digital dentistry and CAD/CAM; Dr Paulo Kano from Brazil spoke on Digital Dentistry; Prof. Marco Ferrari from Italy lectured on the topic ‘How to Use Intra-Oral Scanners (IOS) in a Safe Modality: Clinical Degrees of Difficulties’; finally, Dr Kazuyoshi Baba from Japan discussed the current status and future prospective of digital dentistry.
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’.
Dr. Marko Vujicic, from Chicago USA provided a comparative analysis of Dental Care System around the world. At the Global Periodontal Health Project Symposium, FDI President Kathryn Kell among others, presented a lecture on ‘Proactive Prevention and Effective Periodontal Care: Major Challenges, Scientific Updates and Key Issues for Success’.
DAY 3-
Among the notable highlights, were the symposiums by 3M and GSK, and the FDI-WHO-NCDA Session. 3M focused on innovative management models for infant caries; GSK touched various topics under “Optimal Care and Maintenance of Full Dentures for Oral and General Health”. Dr. Stefan Listl from Netherlands, Dr Veronica Schoj from Argentina, Martha Salazar from Colombia, and Benoit Varenne from Switzerland spoke during the FDI-WHO-NCDA Session. Topics relevant to policy making for curbing sugar intake, and overcoming industry interference were undertaken.
The workshops were conducted by Carestream, Rosterdent, Zhermack, ML Implant System, Orthodent and Den Mat. The subjects touched were ‘DICOM & STL Files, Together & Combined’, ‘Modification of Biological Terrain’, ‘Ideal Protocol for Making Definitive Impressions’, ‘Implant Systems & Geometric Designs by ML Conventional Drills vs, Drills with Auto-stop’, ‘Self-Ligating Course’, and ‘Veneers without Dental Wear’.
The Meet the Expert session of the day was directed by Prof. Niklaus P. Lang from Switzerland, his subject being ‘Architects Build Their Houses on a Solid Foundations – The Periodontal Paradigm ’.
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.
FINAL DAY- Symposium ‘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.
The Meet the Expert session of the day was directed by Dr Eduardo Mahn, from Chile, on “New techniques and materials for the anterior and posterior region with composites”, and by Dr Jose Carlos Elgoyhen, from Argentina, on “Missing Maxillary Lateral Incisors: Replacement or Canine Substitution?”
Several other seminars were held under the supervision and direction of high-achieving doctors and professors of the dental community.
After congress hours, WDC attendees were offered a rich cultural 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.
