Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Deemed to be University (SOA) hosted the three-day 46th National Conference of the Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry (ISPPD), which concluded with a strong focus on innovations in child oral health, preventive dentistry, minimally invasive techniques and interdisciplinary care.
More than 1,650 delegates attended the event, which featured a record 840 paper presentations and roughly 400 posters. Fifteen hands-on workshops preceded the conference, drawing practitioners keen to adopt practical skills.
Eminent international speakers from the United Kingdom, Austria, Malaysia and the UAE addressed delegates. Senior Indian experts from AIIMS, the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) and PGI Chandigarh delivered keynote talks.
Noted pediatric dentists — including Dr. S.G. Damle, Dr. Ashima Goyal and Dr. Rahul Hegde — also led sessions. Prof. (Dr.) Ashok Mahapatra, principal advisor (health sciences) at SOA, attended the proceedings.
The meeting included an extensive dental exhibition that displayed the latest materials, dental equipment and digital solutions shaping pediatric dentistry’s future. Delegates also used networking forums to discuss research, policy and clinical practice.
The conference was organized under ISPPD leadership by Prof. (Dr.) Susant Mohanty (organizing chairman), Dr. Priyanka Kalimireddy (organizing secretary) and a team that included Drs. Jnana Ranjan Swain, Radha Prasanna Dalai, Bismay Singh, Srinandan Pradhan and Dipmalla Sahoo.
At the annual general body meeting that followed, Dr. Sudhindra Baliga was elected president of ISPPD, and Prof. Susant Mohanty was named president-elect. The leadership change signals a renewed push to translate conference insights into national practice and training initiatives.
