43rd APDC concludes with resounding success

43rd Asia Pacific Dental Congress comprised of 3-day ongoing lecture sessions, with pre-conference workshops, grand quizzes, poster competitions, and prize distributions. The congress attracted delegates from 19 different countries, with almost 380 international and 2085 national delegates present at the event. A total of 93 speakers got a chance to showcase their lectures throughout the event.

The conference's inaugural session started with the Holy Quran recitation, followed by National Anthem. The incoming president, Dr Mahmood Shah, took the oath of office administered by Dr Suresh, who followed his speech.

The inaugural session also included recorded messages of President FDI Prof. Ihsane Ben Yahya, Dr Oliver Hennedige, Dr Andy Fernando, Dr Jeffrey Tsang, Dr Bhagwant Singh, Dr Ambreen Afzal (Chairperson 43rd APDC) and Dr Murtaza Kazmi (Chair Scientific).

During the event, the following 4 prominent personalities received the Lifetime Achievement Award, including the President of Pakistan, Dr Arif Alvi, Dr Oliver Hennedige, Dr Gerhard Konrad Seeberger and Dr Hillary Cooray. They also gave their acceptance speeches. Dr Nasir Khan delivered the vote of thanks.

43rd APDC, Pakistan (Virtual), held online from 22nd to 26th June, was organised by the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) comprised of Dr Mahmood Shah (Patron), Prof. Ambreen Afzal (Chairperson Conference), Prof. Shah Faisal (Co-Chairman), Prof. Nasir Ali Khan (Chairman Registrations and Secretary Conference), Prof Arham Chohan (Co-Chairman Registrations), Prof Hasan Mehdi (Chairman Audio Visual), Dr Murtaza Kazmi (Chairman Scientific), Dr Saima Butt (Co-Chairman Scientific), Dr Ghulam Ali Siyal (Chairman Finance), Dr Anwar Saeed (Chairman Sponsors) and Dr Summaiya Rehman (Chairperson Coordination).

The congress offered 18 CPD points by the International College of Continuing Dental Education (ICCDE) to each registered participant. The congress also hosted a graduation ceremony and gave away Fellowship from the International College of Continuing Dental Education (ICCDE).

During the pre-conference grand quiz and poster competition, teams from 16 dental colleges from different cities participated in the quiz competition. Jinnah Medical and Dental College obtained the first position, Bahria Medial & Dental College got second, and Sir Syed College of Medical Sciences for Girls secured the third position. The colleges also participated in the poster competition where students showcased their research work and respective posters while presenting their research articles on interesting dental topics. In the poster competition, Baqai Dental College got the first position, Bhitai Dental and Medical College obtained the second, and Liaquat College of Medicine & Dentistry secured the third position.

Pre-event festivities also included a workshop conducted before the 3-day virtual session. This endodontic workshop titled 'Golden Tips on Rotary Endodontics' focused on root canal techniques and practices for a successful, longer-lasting treatment regarding root canals.

Following the pre-event festivities, APDC conducted a 3-day informative session in the form of virtual lecturers that featured speakers and dentists from all over the world. About 72 speakers were a part of this session, during which topics of all sub-categories of dentistry were covered, including smile design, orthognathic surgery, and endodontics.

The Asia Pacific Dental Congress has been widely popular amongst the member countries. This event hosted by Pakistan after 16 years was greatly appreciated worldwide, including by APDF and FDI. Dr Mahmood Shah took the official oath and accepted his new role as president-elect (PDA). Moreover, the emerging speakers got a chance to present their research during the conference, and students and attendees interacted with distinguished international and national speakers. The countries look forward to next year's festivities and hope to engage and learn a lot more in the field of dentistry.