A Great Year & More to Come!

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”-
Socrates

A new year is upon us….what will it bring? It’s always exciting to begin another chapter, and it's fortunate that, with each January, we can reset. It’s a change in focus that enables us to solidify what’s important and to prioritize. At IFDH, we are excited for this coming year. Our priorities guide us, and our focus is strong. There is so much to look forward to and there are so many wonderful things ahead!

For our delegates to the IFDH, you are leaders who have an impact on the future of the professions you represent. So, let’s keep going, difference makers – we’re just getting started!

Click to hear Jill’s holiday and 2026 message

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Visit to the AIDI Congress in Bologna, Italy

Of course, one of the reasons we are excited for this coming year is our highly anticipated International Symposium on Dental Hygiene in Milan! I had the opportunity to spend time with our Italian hosts, the Associazione Igieniesti Dentali Italiani (AIDI) at their recent annual congress in Bologna. This was the 35th celebration of their annual meeting, and if it’s any indication of what to expect in Milan, it will be an outstanding event.

I was honored to address the attendees and share information about how the IFDH and AIDI work together for our professions….and I was treated like a queen. While I couldn’t fully understand all the wonderful speakers and programs because they were in Italian, the theme of “Exploring the Tongue” was not only novel but important. From systemic health, to microbiota, to language, nutrition, cancer diagnosis and more, the tongue is an organ of significance. As AIDI President Maria Teresa Agneti stated, “The tongue is truly a highly complex organ that plays a central role in our daily lives, in our social and interpersonal relationships: more or less severe deficits in its functions can significantly impact a person's quality of life. It is, therefore, a formidable tool that summarizes the balance and disharmonies of each individual.” Bravo a tutti for an amazing and successful Congress!

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IFDH Symposium Deadlines Approaching

If you or someone you know is interested in presenting at the IFDH International Symposium in Milan, be sure to submit your Abstract by January 7! Also, the Early Bird Registration rate closes on March 30. Don’t miss out on this incredible event!

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Milestone in Oral Health!

At its High Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) this past fall, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) developed a Political Declaration that recognized the impact of oral diseases for the first time. In December, the Declaration was approved by the UN Member States. Finally, we have a global call to action that addresses the shared risk factors among oral and other NCDs! The 2025 UN Political Declaration (HLM4) solidified commitments, establishing new targets for NCDs, mental health, and crucially, calling for essential oral healthcare services as part of universal health care (UHC) by 2030. Some key themes of the Declaration include:

• Integration - Embedding oral health within NCD strategies, primary care, and UHC benefit packages.
• Shared Risk Factors - Targeting common causes like high sugar intake, tobacco, and alcohol use.
• Prevention Focus - Moving from curative to preventive care, promoting oral health in schools, workplaces, and families.
• Global Strategy & Action Plan - Mandating the WHO to develop strategies with measurable 2030 targets for tackling oral diseases.
• National Action - Calls for countries to implement policies, strengthen workforces, improve surveillance, and research.

These resolutions mark a major shift, affirming that oral health is fundamental to overall health. The 2025 Declaration is seen as a catalyst for translating these commitments into tangible policy and program changes worldwide. As the WHO has stated, “there is no health without oral health.” We strongly agree, and look forward to the role dental hygienists, dental therapists, oral therapists and oral health therapists will play in achieving health for all!

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Partner Updates

ACFF - President Elect Fouzieh Eliassy recently attended the annual virtual meeting of the Alliance for a Cavity Free Future (ACFF), where she shared the latest news and information from the IFDH. The ACFF believes that every child born after 2030 should stay cavity-free during their lifetime and is working hard to achieve that goal. IFDH strongly supports that mission! With 29 chapters on 6 continents, they are committed to achieving success. You can find out more on their website.

IADR – I recently had the opportunity to speak with the Executive Director of the International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (IADR). The IFDH is an Institutional member of this global organization that promotes quality research and education in oral health. Can you think of ways the IFDH may want to more strongly partner with them? If so, let me know. Their 104th General Session takes place March 25-28 in San Diego, CA, and they welcome all members of the oral healthcare team to join them. More info.

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Did You Attend Our Global Oral Health Summit?

We hope you were able to participate in this fantastic virtual event! The speakers and topics were amazing and the interaction among attendees was excellent. Here’s an overview. If you missed this one, be sure to attend the next one in November 2026. The date will be finalized in the coming months so stay tuned. Thank you to our sponsors, Haleon, Dentsply Sirona, Colgate Palmolive, and Crest+Oral-B.

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Committee Spotlight:

In this edition of the eNews, I’d like to highlight the Membership Committee and the Research Grant Committee.

Membership Committee – The Membership Committee, along with IFDH staff, reviews applications from countries that wish to become members of the Federation. In addition, the committee reviews individual applications to ensure they qualify for membership. In the 2024-2026 term we asked the committee to target new country members and to potentially reach out to dental therapist organizations. Members include Alice Ravnsbeck (Denmark), Elisabeth Gregersen (Denmark), Anne Mail Nilssen (Norway), and Tylen Burt (Australia). Special thanks to Jessica Pennay (Australia) who also served on the committee until recently. The Board Liaison is Miranda Steeples. Co-Chair Rhiannon Jones states: “It has been a privilege to serve as Co-Chair of the Membership Committee alongside Kelli Swanson Jaecks. As President of the British Society for Dental Hygiene and Therapy, I anticipated that my time would be limited, so sharing this responsibility with someone experienced was invaluable. Representing a country that includes dental therapists, I felt it was important to bring that perspective and practical insight to the committee as we worked toward accepting membership applications from dental therapists and oral health therapists internationally. I look forward to our continued partnership.”
Co-Chair Kelli Jaecks states: “It has been my honor and privilege to serve as Co-chair to the membership committee, alongside Rhiannon Jones, (UK) these last couple of years. This committee has continued the work for IFDH on the issues surrounding dental therapists and the inclusive move to support and serve DTs as full members of the Federation. We continue to define and refine benefits of IFDH membership, while providing context and strategic considerations to the board. The members of this committee have been exemplary in providing needed insights and contributions!”

Research Grant Committee – The Research Grant Committee’s charge is to judge and award research grant submissions. Each year, the committee reviews all submissions and determines the monetary awards. The awards are dependent on corporate sponsorship to determine the amount used to recognize the research projects. We thank Dentsply Sirona for its long-time support of this program. Committee members are Ulrika Lindmark (Sweden), Hadas Avraham Goldberg (Israel), and Doris Voortmans (Belgium). Fouzieh Eliassy serves as the Board Liaison. Committee Chair Catherine Waldron has led the committee over the past two terms and states: “I am so grateful to all the reviewers who have undertaken the work alongside their busy personal and work schedules, with great diligence and willingness. The research grants will be announced early in the new year. We are delighted with the number of submissions this year, more than three times as many as submitted in 2023. This makes the competition for a grant all the fiercer. The range of research topics varied and included lab-based research, the use of longitudinal data, the assessment of patient perspectives, the dental hygienist’s wellbeing, as well as a range of novel oral health interventions. The reviewers have been busy reviewing the submissions, with each submission being reviewed independently by two reviewers, and finally the top ranked submissions are reviewed by all five reviewers independently. It is an honour to be part of this process and to see the wonderful research being undertaken by dental hygienists internationally.”

Energy….Focus….Action!
Welcome to 2026 and a new year of moving #Upward!

Jill Rethman, RDH, BA, FADHA
IFDH President, 2024-2026