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Volume1 Issue6
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CDA
at
W
ork
WorldofDentistry
I
recently returned fromNewDelhi, India,
where Iwasprivileged to lead thedelega-
tion that attended theFDI AnnualWorld
Dental Congress fromSeptember 8–13.
Prior to thismeeting, I hadonly imagined
what life in Indiawas like throughbooks, photos
andTVnews clips.My stay inNewDelhi, though
brief, gavemeachance toglimpsedaily life in
India’s vibrant capital citywhereeverythingwas
exotic— the food, theanimals, the trafficchaos!
To say thatNewDelhiwasunfamil-
iar compared tomyhome townof
Mount Pearl, Newfoundland,would
beanunderstatement.
Yet,when it came to the issueswe
discussedat theFDImeetings, I had
theopposite realization: there is a
commonality to thedental issues
wecareabout inCanadaand
across theglobe. FDI president,
Dr. TCWong,wrote inhermessage to
FDI delegates: “FDI isheartened to see
that factors suchaswater fluoridation,
theuseof fluoride toothpasteanda
growingawarenessof dental hygiene
have translated into improvements in
theoral healthof Indiansover thepast
twodecades.”
Althoughhermessagewasmeant to
highlight theoral health improvements in
theCongress’ host country, it could
equallyapply toCanadaormany
of thecountries represented
at FDI. Theglobal parallels
in the issues facing the
professionaremany.
For example, consider
3 key issuesdiscussed
at FDI this year:
Workforcedistribution.
Of the130national
dental associations representedat FDI, almost
all countries—regardlessof economic status—
reportedhavinganoversupplyof dentists in
urbanareasor anundersupply in rural areas.
Access tocare for seniors.
This remains a
challenge for all countries and isnowa focus for
futureFDI projects.
Sugarconsumption.
There
arecalls for dentistry to join thefight against
sugar consumptionand reduce thepublic
healthchallenges causedbyobesity
anddental caries. FDI supports the
WorldHealthOrganization (WHO)
recommendation that adults should
consumenomore than10%of their
dailycalories from free sugars (p. 12).
Over theyears, CDAhasmadea
significant impact at FDI, “punching
above itsweight” through its
participation indebateson these
andother issues. This impact is shown through
CDA’s input onFDI policy statements,which
areusedby theWHO, governments anddental
associations around theworld. Bycombining
resources andeffortsof itsmember countries,
FDI provides aunique forum for influencing
global policiesonoral health.
Iwouldencourageyou tovisit theFDIwebsite
) to learnmoreabout FDI
initiatives suchasnewguidelineson restorative
materials and theMinamataConventionon
Mercury, anddetails aboutWorldOral Health
Day—set to takeplaceonMarch20, 2015.
CDA’smembership inFDI is important, as
wegainawindow to the stateof dentistry
worldwide throughour participation. I amproud
tobeapart of CDA’s continuedcommitment to
international dentistryand tobringaCanadian
perspective todiscussionsonoral health issues.
GaryMacDonald,dds
AWindow to the
From thePresident
Tohear interviewson
FDIwithDr.MacDonald
andDr. JackCottrell
(FDI CouncilMember
andaCDApast-
president) visit thenew
OasisPodcasts site:
