Co-hosted by FDI World Dental Federation (FDI) and the Turkish Dental Association, the 2024 FDI World Dental Congress has kicked off today at the Istanbul Congress Center (ICC) and the Istanbul Lütfi Kırdar International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC).
From 12-15 Sep 2024, these two venues will host over 15,000 delegates in its scientific programme across 12 exhibition hall running parallel sessions where 279 expert speakers and interactive formats, including 10 meet-the-expert sessions and 28 hands-on workshops, will cover the most critical topics in dentistry.
Moreover, the exhibition of the congress will feature over 150 companies allowing industry leaders to showcase their latest innovations, while participants can explore the latest developments to enhance their practices.
Straight from Istanbul, Dental Asia brings you the highlights and coverage of the 2024 FDI World Dental Congress.
Forum on Artificial Intelligence
The first stop of the day brought us to the Hizar hall at ICEC to attend FDI’s specially curated forum on AI and dentistry. Titiled ‘It Sees, It Talks, It Walks – Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry – What It Is, How It Works, and What It Can Do for Dental Practice and Education’, the forum was designed to provide delegates with an understanding of the technology behind current AI applications in dentistry.
Digital health and health service researcher Dr Falk Schwendicke from Germany displayed how the technologies underlying AI work and provide an overview of possible applications in the domain in his presentation titled ‘AI: What It Is, How It Works and What It Shall Do For Us’.
Dr Schwendicke introduced participants through a history of AI from the first artificial neuron and neural networks created in the 1950’s, to the development of deep learning in the early 2000’s, and even the ALPHAGO AI programme beating the world’s best GO player in 2016.
He then explained the principles of machine learning and demonstrated the breadth of AI applications for dental practice with its unique properties such as explainability and limited generalisability, emphasising that AI is here to stay and the coming few years will define how is integrated into society with skillsets such as data analytics and literacy growing ever more important.
Periodontologist Dr Reinhilde Jacobs from Belgium followed presenting her lecture on ‘Can AI become an Artist in Scanning & Planning?’. During the last decade, 3D imaging has started to play a dominant role in daily practice, in relation to radiologic diagnosis and also treatment planning. Yet, digitalisation is also considered a burden as it requires both time investment and know-how in advanced image analysis.
A potential solution may be offered by introduction AI that has the potential to revolutionise healthcare and present some solutions for time efficient, accurate and consistent clinical workflows, aiding education, diagnosis and treatment planning. Dr Jacobs concluded noting that such AI anatomical models and facial scans are still a work-in-progress
Radiologist Dr Sergio Uribe from Latvia delivered the closing presentation of the forum on AI as he shared about the opportunities and challenges for AI in dental education. His presentation analysed recent research, current guidelines and potential applications to explore the promise of AI in improving dental education.
He presented the latest research of generative AI on dental education which highlighted dental educator’s attitudes and opinions towards the technology, where educators were positive yet cautious calling for clear implementation guidelines.
Moreover, Dr Uribe highlighted the key responsibilities for dental educators in teaching AI concerning AI literacy, ethical AI usage, critical appraisal of AI, and curriculum integration, before concluding as he provided useful resources to navigate AI research terminology and tools.
Digital Dentistry Symposium
After lunch, the afternoon took us to the Emirgan hall at ICC to attend the Digital Dentistry Symposium, co-organised with the digital dentistry society. Titled ‘How Digital Technologies can Change the World of Implant Dentistry and Prosthodontics’, the symposium featured a total of six speakers as they presented the latest innovations and scientific literature on digital dentistry.
Dr Simona Tecco from Italy presented on dental applications that utilise AI in orthodontics and gnathology. She highlighted how orthodontists are constantly in search of tools that can improve the efficient of diagnostic and treatment planning workflows.
Most of the research using AI in orthodontics focus on anatomical landmark placing, and more research is needed to improve AI’s accuracy in orthodontic workflows in other aspects, such as prediction of impacted teeth eruption.
Dr Henriette Lerner from Germany presented on ‘Digital Workflow in Full Arch Rehabilitations: Parameter of Accuracy and Aesthetics’. She highlighted the criteria for implant placement in periodontal patients.
The consensus between an implantologist and a periodontist is if after one year of unsuccessful periodontal treatment, the affected teeth remain periodontally compromised with a residual bone height of less than 8mm, the tooth should be extracted. Only periodontally healthy teeth can be maintained in a tight recall management.
Dr Carlo Mangano from Italy shared on ‘Personalized Therapies With Custom-Printed Ceramic Biomaterials in Bone Regeneration’ where he highlighted innovative techniques like 3D-printed HA ceramic scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.
With the additional help of AI design from CBCT scans and the available of data, Dr Carlo believes that such techniques will become more precise and scalable, even providing a video demonstration of potential applications with augmented reality in digital workflow planning.
One of the largest congresses ever Held in Türkiye
At the press conference and opening ceremony in the evening of 12 Sep, president of FDI Dr Greg Chadwick shared details about the congress, highlighting that this year’s event will feature the most comprehensive scientific programme in the history of the congress.
“The World Dental Congress is FDI’s flagship event, dedicated to strengthening connections and promoting collaboration within the global oral health community. Having been organised over 110 times, the congress aims to advance the science and practice of dentistry. This year’s congress offers a comprehensive scientific programme with a diverse lineup of speakers and an emphasis on digital dentistry. Moreover, the very high number of abstract submissions provide further learning opportunities through oral and e-poster presentations,” said Dr Chadwick.
Dr Chadwick further emphasised the significance of the congress as a crucial event in helping to deliver on FDI’s new 2024–2027 strategic plan and outlined the activities that align with its three core pillars of advocacy, knowledge exchange, and innovation. These developments are further integrated with FDI’s Vision 2030: Delivering Optimal Oral Health for All, a roadmap for integrating oral health into UHC and non-communicable disease agendas.
The “Istanbul Declaration”, adopted at the World Dental Congress held in Türkiye in 2013, emphasised the connection between oral and overall health and called on FDI and its members to support expanding the scope of dental practice to enhance the overall health and well-being of the communities they serve. It also urged national, regional, and global health leaders to recognise oral health as a fundamental component of global health and to promote interprofessional collaboration in the development of global and national policies
“Today, we have made significant progress in advocating for the integration of oral health with general health and promoting interprofessional collaboration. On the first day of our congress, we saw excellent examples of successful national oral health plans at the National Liaison Officers Forum,” Dr Chadwick added.
Tarık İşmen, president of the Turkish Dental Association, expressed his great pleasure and honour in hosting the FDI World Dental Congress in Istanbul and shared the following details about the congress.
” I believe our congress offers a tremendous opportunity to strengthen the exchange of knowledge in the field of dentistry and shape the future of our profession. The challenges faced, particularly during extraordinary situations like the pandemic, have highlighted the importance of flexible and sustainable solutions in dental practices. Drawing from the experiences of the pandemic, we aim to develop new strategies to more effectively cope with similar situations in the future,” said Dr İşmen.
Dr İşmen also highlighted the importance of oral health for migrants, stating: “The increasing migration movements worldwide have brought significant challenges in accessing healthcare services. Oral and dental health for migrants is often neglected amid these challenges. FDI and the World Health Organization must take action on this matter. Countries’ health expenditures on migrant health should be analysed, and those bearing the burden should be supported by the World Health Organization through project-based initiatives.”
Another key focus of the congress will be the relationship between oral health and general health. Oral health is an integral part of overall health. Neglecting oral health can lead to the emergence or worsening of systemic diseases. To better understand this relationship and raise awareness in this area, the congress provides a vital platform.
“Unfortunately, Türkiye’s oral and dental health report card is still not at the desired level. We will address the question of why Türkiye’s oral and dental health status remains poor, discussing in detail the fundamental issues we face in this area and the proposed solutions. Our goal is to raise public awareness about oral and dental health and provide better healthcare services,” president Tarık İşmen added.
Under its Global Oral Health Action Plan, the World Health Organization, has outlined the following areas where countries should rethink their policies based on sustainable development goals related to general health:
• Oral health policies should be integrated within the overall health framework and restructured accordingly.
• Oral health should be included in public health insurance systems.
• Oral health should be integrated into the country’s primary healthcare system.
• Priority should be given to including preventive and therapeutic oral health services for the 0-12 age group, individuals over 65, and individuals with disabilities in public health insurance.
Dr İşmen concluded: “I believe this congress will offer significant contributions both to the dental profession and to public health. Throughout the congress, we will continue to share in-depth information on these important topics and shape the future of our profession.”
Related: FDI World Dental Congress 2024: Education, networking and more!
