ISDH 2022: Ireland

House of Delegates Business Meeting

August 7-10, 2022; Malahide Ireland

Click on photos for slide show

How nice it was to be back to an in-person conference and seeing so many familiar faces after three years!

The week started off with 2 days of meetings for the Board of Directors, discussing the final details for the House of Delegates meeting, the Sustainability Workshop, the Delegate Success Workshop, the ISDH Opening Ceremonies, the Global Oral Health Summit Part 2, the Social Responsibility Seminar, the Closing Ceremonies and so much more!

The delegate events kicked off with a Welcome Reception on Monday evening, August the 8th, to allow everyone to meet and catch up with some new and familiar faces, in the quaint town of Malahide, on the coast, about 30 minutes outside of Dublin.

In total, 24 countries were represented along with a number of Observers and Individual Members at the House of Delegates Business meeting and events. There are 35 country members in the IFDH, with some repeat delegates and many attending for the first time. The room was filled to capacity! Once the meeting starts, it finds its rhythm and business was completed in one day with efficiency and good humor, with all members taking an active part in the proceedings.

President Corrie Jongbloed presided over the meeting. Significant highlights included reports from each country member and committees, voting for the new board members 2-year term, unveiling a new logo and website, a look into the future from newly-elected President Wanda Fedora (Canada), an update from Ireland on plans for the 2022 ISDH in Dublin, and from Italy on the 2026 ISDH in Milan, Italy. A presentation of one exciting bid for the 2028 ISDH from Dubai, UAE, which after voting, became the chosen venue for 2028.

Tuesday evening started with a fun bus ride – complete with lively Irish music – for Delegates, Observers and guests to the seaside Abbey Tavern, one of the oldest pubs in Ireland! This was another chance to socialize with the delegates and enjoy some festive Irish food, music and dancers.

New Delegate Educational Seminars

On Wednesday, a morning of learning, included a Sustainability Seminar by Dr. Nicolas Martin, with a passionate lecture, which created awareness and inspired and motivated our delegates to contribute to “Sustainability in Oral Health Care” on an association level, as well as on an individual level. A big thank you to our sponsor P & G, for their key involvement.

This was followed by a Delegate Success Workshop by Kelli Jaecks. Her lively presentation engaged and inspired delegates to fully understand and participate in their important roles and responsibilities to the IFDH. This leadership workshop equipped the delegates with the mindset and commitment to actively support the work of the IFDH as they return home.

Then all moved on to meetings of the committee of choice by delegates. They discussed strategies to reach the goals as set out by newly elected President Wanda Fedora.

Then, on to the bus to Dublin for the ISDH! Wow what a jam-packed 2 days of IFDH business, education, networking and fun.

International Symposium on Dental Hygiene

August 10-13, 2022; Dublin, Ireland

During the IFDH 35th Anniversary year, and with almost 800 participants from 40 countries, numerous oral presentations and posters from around the world, the 13th Anniversary International Symposium on Dental Hygiene in Dublin, Ireland was another great success! It was a little smaller this time, due to Covid and a war in eastern Europe.

This symposium continually brings together dental hygienists, and other oral health professionals, from around the globe. It provides an important forum for the sharing of knowledge, the building of understanding, and the discussion of issues related to oral health.

As always, the Opening Ceremonies, with its parade of flags presentation, similar to the Olympics, was an awe-inspiring event.

The feedback from participants, exhibitors and sponsors has been very positive with many delegates commenting “the quality of lectures was extremely high and clinically relevant”, all around the theme “The Future In Our Hands.” The presentation sub-categories were Adapt, Learn, Care, Enable.

The goal of the symposium was to uncover the vital role dental hygienists play as primary healthcare providers through the exploration of evidence-based and innovative approaches. This was achieved through the presentation of 87 oral sessions and 87 posters.

Not only did the symposium deliver on scientific content but networking opportunities were also highly rated. Sponsors and exhibitors played a huge role in making the event a success with over 30 exciting and informative trade displays. We thank our major sponsors (shown at the bottom) and many exhibitors for their support.

IFDH Programs Presented

IFDH continued its successful Global Oral Health Summit (premiering virtually in 2021) with Part 2 on Thursday afternoon. Chaired by President Jongbloed, three presentations consisting of an explanation of the WHO Global Strategies on Oral Health, that dental hygienists deal with worldwide – on a personal, as well as on an organization level. A big thank you to our presenters from the WHO, European Oral Health Platform and keynote speaker Dr. Richard Watt. We also thank our sponsors Colgate and P & G, for their key involvement.

IFDH presented a Social Responsibility Workshop on Saturday. Three winning social programs were presented to the enjoyment of the attendees. The first-place project of 2022; “Maasai Mama Baby Project” is run by Mandy McGill of Canada and educates mothers in the Maasai region to improve the oral health of themselves and their children. The Israeli Dental Hygienists’ Association worked with mothers in shelters to improve their oral health and ultimately affect the oral health of their families and was awarded second place. The Slovakian Dental Hygienists’ Association created the program “A Generation Without Decay” and inspired their colleagues with their dedication and enjoyed third prize. Honorable mentions were awarded to five other inspiring projects. A huge Thank You to the generosity of our sponsor DentsplySirona, for their key involvement and making the recognition of these outstanding projects possible.

An Evening Event to Remember

Normally at ISDH, there is a gala dinner. This year, we did it Irish style, with a pub-like evening at the famous Guinness Storehouse factory, reserved completely for ISDH attendees! What a fun night strolling through the factory, gift shop and listening to Irish music and watching the dancers perform. And of course, the view from the 360 bar on the top floor was incredible, including the well-timed full moon!

IFDH Awards Presented

At the Opening Ceremony, IFDH President Corrie Jongbloed mentioned the award winners from IFDH programs, including Research Grant recipients, and Impact Awards for best country member programs from Italy, Czech Republic and Israel.

Other awards were presented by outgoing IFDH President Corrie Jongbloed at the closing ceremony to deserving sponsors Colgate, DentsplySirona and P&G, along with the Organizing Committee and Scientific Committee, all who contributed to the IFDH in the past three years.

The new IFDH Board of Directors was installed and outgoing President Corrie Jongbloed presented newly-elected President Wanda Fedora the IFDH gavel for her term. Wanda gave thanks to Corrie, the attendees and gave an outlook into the future of IFDH.

The IFDH Board of Directors thanks the Local Organizing Committee from the Irish Dental Hygiene Association for presenting such a professional symposium and social activities that were enjoyed by all.

IFDH looks forward to its next International Symposium on Dental Hygiene in Seoul, Soth Korea, July 2024. See you there!