The FDI Congress in Numbers

Attendance figures were high at this year’s FDIAnnual World Dental Congress (AWDC) inMontreal, as the city, venue and scientific and

social programs combined to attract oral healthprofessionals from around the world.

When the final figures were tallied, more then 14,000 peopleregistered for theAWDC. Over 4,700dentists attendedthe FDI Congress.Many Canadiandentists made thejourney to Montrealto welcome theirinternational col-leagues; 70% ofregistered dentistscame from the hostnation.

The event hada strong interna-tional presenceas well. Morethan 2,500 repre-sentatives from130 countriesvisited the Palaisdes Congrès overthe days of theFDI Congress.Dental profes-sionals came froma range of nations,spanning all theway from And-

orra to Zimbabwe and points in between.Members of the broader oral health profession are

always welcome at the FDI Congress. Such diversity ofattendees was in evidence again this year, as more than 1,100 dental hygienists, 950 dental assistants and 584 office staff came to Montreal. Younger mem-bers of the dental profession were also well repre-sented, with more than 1,800 students registered to

attend theCongress.

T h eexchangeof ideasa b o u tc l i n i c a land pro-fessional matters was front and centre. The scientificprogram covered a wide range of topics and consisted of over 130 scientific sessions and lectures.There were also 110 poster presentations and 45 freecommunications contributing to the transfer ofknowledge.

The 2005 FDI World Dental Exhibition was thelargest trade show of dental materials, devices andequipment ever hosted in Canada. The numbersspeak for themselves: 270 companies; 620 booths;2,500 exhibitor personnel; 5,600 square metres offloor space. It all added up to a one-of-a-kind show-case of the latest dental products. ❍

FDI World Dental Parliament

The World Dental Parliament brings together theofficial representatives and delegates from FDI’s

over 150 national and international organizations.These leaders participate in formal meetings, struc-tured to foster debate, discussions and decision-making on the issues that influence the global dentalprofession.

General AssemblyOne of the most significant events at the

The top 10 countries with no. ofdelegates registered at the FDI Congress

1 Canada 8,9632 United States 3603 France 1714 Germany 1055 United Kingdom 1016 Iran 927 Denmark 868 Japan 809 Slovenia 80

10 Sweden 79

Registered Country delegates

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FDI Annual World Dental CongressWednesday, August 24, to Saturday, August 27, 2005Montreal, Quebec

Traffic was brisk at the new CDA booth,located near the trade show entrance.

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FDI General Assembly for Canadian dentists was the election of Dr. Burton Conrod of Sydney,Nova Scotia, to the position of FDI president-elect.He won the election with the support of 73% of theGeneral Assembly electorate. Dr. Conrod is the firstCanadian dentist elected to this position. He will beginhis 2-year term as FDI president in 2007.

Among other business, the General Assemblyapproved regular membership for the LithuanianDental Chamber, a country where almost 75% of the2,700 practising dentists are members of thenational association.

FDI Policy StatementsEach year, the General Assembly debates and

approves policy statements on oral health. InMontreal, 7 new statements were prepared by FDIcommittees and approved by the General Assembly:• Sterilization and cross infection control in the

dental practice• Occupational health in dentistry• Bleaching materials and tooth whiteners• Post-exposure prophylaxis for HBV, HCV and HIV• Dental unit water systems and microbial conta-

mination• Guidelines for dental volunteers• Saliva as a diagnostic fluid

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World Dental Parliament in session.

Members of the Canadian delegation attending the World DentalParliament (l. to r.) Dr. Jack Cottrell, CDA president, and Mr. GeorgeWeber, CDA executive director.

In addition, 2 existing policy statements wereupdated:• Need and demand for oral health care• Improving access to oral care

The FDI policy statements adopted at the Montreal World Dental Parliament are publishedin this edition of JCDA on p. 727–31. ❍

Public Health Section of FDI

The Public Health Section of FDI brings togetherthe chief dental officers from around the world as

well as other individuals interested in dental publichealth. This year, chief dental officers representing43 countries were present in Montreal, making it oneof the most well-attended public health FDI sessions inrecent history. The meeting of this group on August 26brought together more than 150 participants.

Of note for Canadian dentistry was the nomina-tion of Dr. Peter Cooney, Canada’s chief dentalofficer, to the FDI Public Health Section Executive.Dr. Cooney joins his counterparts from theNetherlands, Israel and Malaysia on the executive. ❍

World Military Dental Congress

This year’s World Military Dental Congress tookplace from August 20 to 23. Traditionally, the FDI

Section of Defence Forces Dental Services (SDFDS),which is the military component of the FDI, holds aCongress of uniformed dental professionals imme-diately before the AWDC, allowing the military delegates to participate in the main FDI event.

The SDFDS remains one of the key strategicpartnerships of the Canadian Forces Dental Services(CFDS). The CFDS benefits from membership inSDFDS through the exchange of ideas and informa-tion concerning various clinical, operational andorganizational topics.

Past protocol and tradition is such that the military dental service of the host country organizesthe World Military Dental Congress. The theme ofthis year’s Congress was “Evolution in MilitaryDentistry.” Sixty foreign delegates from 21 coun-tries, many of them the chiefs of their respectiveDental Corps, and 30 CFDS dental officers attended.

This event consists of scientific presentations,meetings of the international SDFDS executive and a social day showcasing the heritage and military culture of the host nation. The spirit ofinternational cooperation and strategic partner-

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ships is built and fostered as much through thesocial program as through the scientific program.The social day was a major success. It included a display by The Black Watch (Royal HighlandRegiment) of Canada – Pipes & Drums and a tour ofthe Stewart Museum at the Fort on Île Sainte-Hélène, which featured a re-enactment of 2 historicregiments preparing for battle.

CFDS personnel also gave a presentation at the main FDI Congress, describing CFDS dental support to deployed Canadian Forces troops overthe past 15 years in locations as diverse as Bosnia,Afghanistan, the Arabian Gulf and Haiti. There was also a short overview of the CFDS Forensic Teamdeployment in response to the crash of Swiss AirFlight 111 near Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia. ❍

FDI Local Organizing Committee

This year’s FDI AWDC would not have been such asuccess without the tireless efforts of a team of

dedicated individuals. The Montreal FDI LocalOrganizing Committee (LOC) was inspired by itschair, Dr. Denis Forest. Dr. Forest was able to generate

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Dr. Denis Forest, chair of the Local Organizing Committee, handingover the official FDI flag to representatives of Shenzhen, China, for the2006 FDI Congress.

Building international friendships at the military congress (l. to r): Lt.-Col. Ryo Tsunoda, Japanese Dental Service; Maj. Carolyn Boyd,Canada; Maj.-Gen. Paramjit Singh, chief, Indian Army Dental Corps;Mrs. Kaur-Singh, India; Maj. Sylvie Lavoie, Canada; Mrs. Ranjara Parmar,India; Col. Scott Becker, director dental services, Canada.

an excitement level and enthusiasm that carried theLOC through to the conclusion of the Congress. TheMontreal LOC executive was composed of Dr. RobertCharland, vice-chair, Dr. André Prévost, scientific pro-gram, and Dr. Jonathan Lang, public relations.

While it would be impossible to thank everyoneon the LOC for their contribution, Dr. Robert Salois,president of the Order of Dentists of Quebec (ODQ),Dr. Chantal Charest, president of the Quebec DentalSurgeons Association (QDSA), Dr. Daniel Pelland,executive director of QDSA, Dr. Louis Dubé, CDApast-president, and CDA staff members LindaTeteruck, Johanne Patenaude, Beth Keeping andBernadette Dacey all deserve high praise for theirwork before and during the Congress. ❍

FDI Generates Extensive Media Interest

Coverage of oral health issues in the mediareached a fever pitch in August and September,

stemming from interest in the FDI AWDC. In co-operation with the ODQ and FDI, CDA organized acoordinated media and public awareness campaigndesigned to bring oral health concerns to the attention of local and national media outlets. Theresulting coverage was a testament to a successfulcampaign.

During the Congress itself, CDA president Dr. Jack Cottrell and ODQ president Dr. Robert Saloiswere in high demand,making appearanceson several Montrealtelevision broadcastsand being interviewedon newscasts aired byCTV and Global localtelevision affiliates.

Primary amongthe issues highlightedin the media wasthe rate of caries inchildren. This cov-erage arose from apress conference heldon August 24, where 2 young children pre-sented internationalexperts and parentswith a manifesto ex-pressing their con-cerns about oralhealth.

The event washeld to promote theimportance of caries

(L. to r.) Charlotte, aged 9, and Marion,aged 12, deliver their manifesto at FDIpress conference.

“Today, we wanted to invite chil-dren from all over to fight againstcavities and take good care oftheir oral health. As a symbolicgesture, our manifesto voices ourconcerns about our teeth, but alsoour gums, sugar, fluoride, plaqueand bacteria… And we go as faras asking our parents and oralhealth professional friends to beour guides and make it fun, so thatwe include good habits early on inour daily routine.”

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prevention and to publicize Colgate’s Bright Smiles,Bright Futures marquee program, which was on sitefor the duration of the FDI Congress.

The emphasis on children’s oral health continuedas major newspaper outlets picked up the story. TheMontreal Gazette ran a front-page column on August31 focusing on caries rates in children in Quebec and Canada. The Toronto Star followed with its own story on September 2. ❍

First Female FDI President InspiresDelegates With Passionate Words

While a musical variety show kicked off the FDIWelcome Ceremony festivities on a thunderous

note, it was incoming FDI president Dr. MichèleAerden’s words that left a lasting impression on the audience.

Dr. Aerden of Belgium becamethe first woman president of FDIwhen she accepted the official chainof office from her predecessor,Dr. H.R. Yoon. Her heartfelt speechrecognized the significance of thismomentous event. “My election tothe presidency shows that the FDIis open to diversity, and ready toembrace the modernity of the 21stcentury,” she praised.

“The presidency is a great honour but also a bigresponsibility, and I put myself at the service of theFDI,” she continued. “During these 2 years of presi-dency, I will apply special focus in 3 areas: excellence,dentistry as a medical discipline, and ethics.”

Dr. Aerden wants to dispel the myth of dentists asbusiness people, placing more emphasis on theresponsibilities of being oral health professionals. “Weare not teeth merchants,” she stressed.“We are doctorsin oral health and bad oral health is a killer. There canbe no general health without oral health!”

Flag CeremonyDr. J.T. Barnard, executive director of FDI, han-

dled the master of ceremonies duties for theWelcome Ceremony. It all began with the FlagCeremony, an event akin to the opening roll call ofthe Olympics. This was a proud moment for audi-ence members, who made themselves heard as theirflag and country were presented.

An official VIP delegation delivered welcomespeeches to the assembly of people. The dignitariesincluded Dr. Jack Cottrell, CDA president, Dr. DenisForest, chair of the Montreal Local Organizing

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F D I S o c i a l E v e n t s

Dr. Michèle Aerden

The Flag Ceremony highlighted the international flavour of FDI.

Committee, Dr. Pierre Corbeil, Quebec Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife, Dr. Yoon and Dr. Aerden.

Although unable to attend the FDI WelcomeCeremony in person, the Right Honourable PaulMartin delivered a personal video address to thecrowd. “Our government recognizes that gooddental health is an important component of overallgeneral health,” said the prime minister.“It is for thisreason that I would like to commend the FDI on itswork with the World Health Organization. Aholistic approach to health that includes oral healthis a goal that all countries should work towards.”

Canadian ColoursThe Welcome Ceremony culminated with the

entertainment portion of the evening. ‘CanadianColours’ was a grand theatrical showcase,reminiscent of a Broadway production.

The concept for the show saw a young girl named Carolyn taking the audience on a virtualjourney acrossCanada, show-casing the localtalents and fla-vour from thedifferent areas ofthe country.

The showbegan with aHoop Dance —a solitary maledisplaying thistraditional cere-mony of theFirst Nationspeoples of theWest Coast. FDI

The Hoop Dance was one of the more memo-rable performances.

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attendees came away from the night both enter-tained and inspired, as Canada laid out a first-class welcome for the world. ❍

5th Annual Canadian Reception

The Stewart Museum, situated at the Fort on ÎleSainte-Hélène, was the setting for the Canadian

Reception on August 22, hosted by CDA and FDI.This social event drew over 400 guests repre-

senting 45 FDI member associations and interna-tional organizations. Those in attendance weretreated to a military display by La CompagnieFranche de la Marine. Several official representativesfrom FDI attended the event, including outgoingFDI president Dr. H.R. Yoon, incoming FDI presi-dent Dr. Michèle Aerden, Dr. Brent Stanley, FDI trea-surer, Dr. J.T. Barnard, FDI executive director, andother FDI councillors.

Again this year, Oral B Laboratories – A GilletteCompany generously sponsored the CanadianReception. Oral-B has contributed to this event sincethe 2002 FDI Congress in Vienna, Austria. Dr. PaulWarren, Oral-B global vice-president of clinicalresearch and dental affairs, was on hand to addressthe audience. ❍

Jazz Music Fills the Palais des Congrès

After spending the better part of 2 days attendingscientific sessions, workshops or walking the

exhibition floor, many people at FDI were glad tohave a chance to relax and unwind at the CanadianJazz Night on August 25.

Room 210 of the Palais des Congrès was trans-formed into a traditional Montreal jazz nightclub,complete with magicians and comedic performersentertaining guests at their tables.

Over 400 guests were treated to some powerfulvocal and instrumental performances.

Canadian Jazz Night was made possible throughthe generous support of the principal sponsor, PfizerConsumer Healthcare, the makers of Listerine. Theevening’s festivities were also sponsored by SciCanand KaVo. ❍

CDA and GSK Gala Reception

On August 25, CDA and GlaxoSmithKline(GSK) teamed up to hold a gala reception atthe Montreal Museum of Fine Arts –

Hornstein Pavilion. The more than 600 guests inattendance were able to preview the new design ofJCDA and the CDA Web site. ❍

Upcoming FDI Congresses

The 2006 FDI Congress will be held in Shenzhen,China, from September 22–25. Shenzhen islocated 35 km from Hong Kong in the

Guangdong Province. It is one of China’s fastestgrowing cities and is a popular tourist destination.

The following year will see Dubai in the UnitedArab Emerites (UAE) hosting the 2007 FDICongress. It is scheduled for October 24–27. It hasalso been announced that the 2008 FDI Congresswill take place in Stockholm, Sweden, in August. ❍

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(L. to r.) Dr. David Alexander, GlaxoSmithKline (USA) worldwidedirector of dental affairs, Dr. Jack Cottrell, CDA president, and Mr. George Weber, CDA executive director.

FDI president Dr. H.R. Yoon caps off the Canadian Reception militaryperformance by participating in the detonation of a cannon.

The 2005 FDI Annual World Dental Congress wasa collaboration between CDA, the FDI World Dental

Federation (FDI) and the Order of Dentists of Quebec(ODQ), along with promotional support from the

Quebec Dental Surgeons Association (QDSA).