The Centenary Congress of the Dental School of the Saint Joseph University in Beirut

MAY 31- JUNE 3, 2023

Honorables invités, Mesdames et Messieurs, je vous souhaite chaleureusement la bienvenue à la célébration de notre centenaire. La faculté de médecine dentaire a été fondée par les jésuites en 1920. Aujourd’hui, nous commémorons un siècle d’excellence académique et de contributions significatives à la santé bucco-dentaire. Nous sommes fiers de notre statut unique en tant que faculté francophone au Moyen-Orient, tout en étant trilingue. Afin de valoriser la diversité linguistique et culturelle de notre institution et de faciliter la communication avec nos invités arabes et internationaux majoritairement anglophones, je poursuivrai mon discours en anglais. Honored guests, colleagues, and friends, it is with great honor and pride that I stand in front of you today to celebrate the centenary of the Faculty of Dental Medicine at Saint Joseph University. This occasion is an excellent opportunity to remember the past, reflect on our journey, and envision the future of our institution. Since 1920, we have trained generations of dental professionals who have gone on to serve their communities, advance the field of dentistry, and improve the health and well-being of countless individuals.

From 1975 until 1990, the Lebanese Civil War devastated the country, and the faculty had to move several times to continue functioning. The upcoming film of the centenary will vividly portray this period of our faculty’s history. This difficult period was a trial for all of us, but it also made our determination and unity Stronger. Today, we also celebrate our 25 years of the Arab Dental Faculties Association, with our faculty being selected as the permanent headquarters and its dean appointed as the permanent SecretaryGeneral. Furthermore, I would like to extend my greetings to the 20 Arab deans who have traveled to join us in celebrating our centenary.

Since 2019, we have been faced with extraordinary challenges and difficulties, starting with the 3rd largest explosion in modern time. Followed by the most severe pandemic crisis in modern history, coupled with the worst economic crisis in Lebanon’s history. However, we were determined to persevere and find a way to succeed.

The question was: how can we overcome the hardest of challenges and continue to move forward?

The answer was simple: through our unity, unwavering dedication and commitment to excellence.

An exceptional economic strategy was adopted, backed by our international collaborations and donations from alumni, partners, and friends, which helped overcome the economic obstacles and allowed us to improve the conditions of our healthcare center by “outfitting it” with cuttingedge digital technology and to offer high-level training programs.

Recently, we have introduced a cutting-edge 4K system in our center, which enables highresolution, real-time live transmission, significantly improving the quality of our clinic program.

I’m also happy to announce that to maintain our position as a leader, we have evolved our digital unit into a new department for digital and virtual dentistry and artificial intelligence.

Additionally, we are currently working on setting up a platform with AI tools for the faculty in the Metaverse. You will have the opportunity to visit the metaverse during this congress. During these 100 years we also recognize that we cannot achieve our goals alone. We must work together, across borders and disciplines, to address the challenges facing our profession and to take advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead. I would like to thank the 28 speakers who have traveled from all over the world to share their knowledge.

How can we thank those who have contributed to making our faculty a place of excellence and well-known around the world?

How can we express our gratitude to the directors, the 4 deans : Aramouni, Hokayem, Naaman and Makhzoumi, all our teachers and staff members, all our alumni, and friends who have supported our institution throughout these past hundred years?

The answer is simple: we can show our gratitude and appreciation by continuing to uphold the tradition of excellence and dedication that has always been the hallmark of our faculty.

To envision the future of our institution we should ask:

How can we better prepare future generations of oral health professionals in the rapidly evolving era of artificial intelligence, a field that may seem daunting and requires extra effort to master? And how can we continue to uphold our faculty’s reputation in this international context of our profession that is emerging every day?

The answer is also simple: we need to let the future speak for itself; Let us listen to the voices of the future students.

Dear students of the future, we promise to meet and exceed your expectations.

We will prepare you to excel in this rapidly evolving landscape, and ensure that you will be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to harness the power of Artificial intelligence in your practice. We have a duty to make this technology available for education and research. At the same time, it is very important not to lose sight of the human element of dentistry. The relationships between dentist and patient are built on trust, empathy and understanding, and these values cannot be replicated by machines. As we incorporate new technologies into our practice, we must also prioritize the development of these human skills in our students. By embracing innovation while staying true to our core values, we can ensure that the future of our faculty is bright and that our impact on the field of dentistry continues to be profound.

In the end how can we describe the history of our faculty in one word? Would it be Resilience? Excellence? Determination? I would say it’s all of that and much more.

I am delighted to announce that our faculty is embarking on its second “century of excellence” with a resolute purpose: to maintain its leadership in our field while staying true to our mission and our Jesuit values for the next hundred year and beyond.

Thank you all, Happy Centenary!

Trophy Distribution

12th AIO INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS 22th SARDINIAN MEETING

JUNE 8-10, 2023

Chia (Cagliari) - Sardinia - Italy

THE 12TH AIO INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS IN CHIA, SARDEGNA: A SHINING SUCCESS BEYOND ALL EXPECTATIONS

The numbers are in for the 12th International Congress of the AIO/Italian Dental Association. 1000 participants from over 40 countries! (680 healthcare professionals, 80 speakers, 100 representatives from the 40 sponsor companies and national and international fellow associations as well as over 140 accompanying guests and staff).

Chia, the beautiful 5-star, exclusive, top vacation destination in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, was once again the perfect location to host the international congress, offering participants an excellent and the unique opportunity to network, exchange experiences and ideas with friends and colleagues from around the world.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER DR GALİP GÜREL

KEYNOTE SPEAKER DR MAURO FRADEANI

The Opening Ceremony was presented by Enrico Lai, (Cultural secretary of AIO Cagliari and coordinator of the AIO International Congress since 2015) and chaired by Rossella Galisai (President of AIO Cagliari). Opening comments were given by Ihsane Ben Yahya, president of the FDI, World Dental Federation and Simona Dianiskova, President of the European Regional Organization of the FDI, who underlined how important it is to strive to attain “Simplicity of Excellence”. Claudia Cotca professor in American, European and Italian universities, traced a common thread linking last years International Congress dedicated to “The Gender Shift in Dentistry”, to this years congress that focused on the “The Simplicity of Excellence”.

Fabio Velotti, president of the Italian Industry Association UNIDI, underlined the importance of international events for the Italian Dental Industry as well the importance of global prevention projects such as "Oral Care Total Care", on oral cancer screening launched by the AIO.

Gerhard Seeberger, AIO National President and World Dental Federation Past President, highlighted the importance of the dentist in a program of all-around prevention inclusive of all, regardless of status or social class, affirming the philosophy of the World Health Organization dedicated to the wellbeing of all in their global effort to give everyone, everywhere an equal chance to live a healthy life.

Following, the President of the National Dental Commission Raffaele Iandolo, spoke on the recent national controversy raised by physicians who practice facial esthetics that feel that dentists should not be able to perform esthetic procedures on the face citing the short cited view that the dentist is solely “the doctor of the teeth".

Finally, the President of the Order of Physicians and Dentists of Cagliari, Emilio Montaldo, and Elisabetta Cotti, President of IFEA (World Federation of Endodontics) spoke on the importance of maintaining simplicity in dentistry and in medicine. and dentistry.

The Opening Ceremony ended with a concert held by world acclaimed violinist Anna Tifu and pianist/ composer Romeo Scaccia who delighted the audience with their amazing talents for almost an hour. As the Opening Ceremony ended, a new ceremony began! Poolside and by invitation only, the 1st Doctors’ World Gala took the spotlight! Kianor Shah, Preteender Singh and Gurien Demiraqi, representatives of the Global Summit Institute and organizers of the Doctors’ World Gala together with AIO representatives, Enrico Lai and Giancarlo Couch, presented prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards to the 100 "Top Doctors” of 2023. A special dinner accompanied the event reserved exclusively for awardees and their families.

Rossella Galisai, President of AIO Cagliari, ended extraordinary the Congress by thanking the outstanding world class lecturers, the participants and their guests from around the world, the staff with their limitless enthusiasm and energy, the generosity of the many sponsors and the support from the numerous fellow associations in contributing to help make the 12th AIO International Congress a first class event and an enormous international success.