Orthodontics is the art of health and aesthetics that follows nature and portrays our pursuit of beauty. For thousands of years, orthodontists the engineers and artists of orthodontics have focused on providing healthier teeth and brighter smiles.
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Synopsis on the 1st IOF International Orthodontic Symposium (Graphic: Business Wire)
From June 3rd to 5th, the 1st IOF International Orthodontic Symposium, hosted by International Orthodontic Foundation (IOF) was broadcasted live online. Fifteen elite orthodontic experts from China and across the world discussed the future of orthodontics for the next decade. Doctors from over 80 countries participated in the conference, and it was viewed by more than 160,000 people online.
Why is the international exchange of orthodontics so necessary? How does heritage drive innovation? What will be the future of orthodontics? Experts at the conference gave in-depth answers.
"Well-aligned teeth are a symbol of prosperity of a population. When the social economy develops past a certain stage, people will pay more attention to oral health and the appearance of teeth," said Professor Zhao Zhihe, President of Professor Committee, West China School and Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University. He believes the public's pursuit of beauty is significantly increasing in many countries. Taking China as an example, the demand for orthodontic treatment has begun to show exponential growth.
With such a strong demand, Professor Zhao raised the huge challenge facing the industry the scarcity of professional orthodontists. He believes that developing and promoting the training of young doctors is one of the crucial tasks of IOF in the next decade, which requires the seamless connection of academia, clinical, scientific research, and industry standards.
Professor Ravindra Nanda, Editor-in-Chief of the "Progress in Orthodontics" and Adjunct Professor at the Forsyth Institute, is a leading authority in the orthodontic industry. He said, "In the US, orthodontics is a highly competitive field. It would be best to master the art of dentistry or you will be eliminated. To be successful, orthodontists must incorporate lifelong learning to excel in their field." He explained that cultivating orthodontic talents takes a lot of patience, and we must find young people who are good at learning, communication, academic research, performing clinical work, and willing to spend at least three years in their training. After graduating from the program, they must continue to learn in real practice in order to become a qualified orthodontist. It is a lifelong learning discipline.
Professor Nanda explained that IOF invites experts from all over the world to give lectures and share academic ideas and clinical experience, which is what he believes the industry needs the most. Professor Nanda also urged orthodontists to be very wary of concept innovation, technological innovation, and new products. Clinicians must always put the best interests of patients first, and conduct rigorous tests, analysis, and evaluations before applying it in clinical practice.
"Innovation is the mainstream trend in today's world, but innovation is not the ultimate goal," said Dr. Theodore Eliades, Professor and Director of the Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Zurich and Director of the Institute of Oral Biology at the Center for Dental Medicine. Professor Eliades achieved outstanding accomplishments in several scientific fields and hopes to give young orthodontists pertinent advice on innovation.
Professor Eliades stated that a critical appraisal of new evidence is the key element in the innovation progress. Many young researchers and doctors tend to pay too much attention to the laboratory research progress of new materials, new equipment, or new treatment options, but do not fully integrate clinical data. This can result in the entire innovation process being over-enthusiastic and under-rigorous. He suggested that scientific data and clinical data must be fully combined in research to ensure the reliability and practicability of innovative results.
He mentioned that many innovative researchers are often faced with a shortage of research funding, and the orthodontic field has a difficult time being noticed by official national funding agencies. IOF's research grants program aims to fill this gap, and it will have positive and far-reaching significance for promoting the healthy development of the orthodontic industry.
Professor Eliades believes that it is also very important to promote international collaboration. The establishment of IOF will strengthen the exchange of academic and clinical practice between the East and the West. IOF will hold more seminars and training courses, conduct scientific research cooperation, and carry out personnel exchange projects. He suggested that the integration of experts from different disciplines is also an important way to advance the orthodontic industry, such as biologists, chemists, biomechanical engineers, and epidemiologists to name a few.
Professor Bin Cai, chief physician of the Department of Orthodontics of the Stomatology Hospital Affiliated to Sun Yat-sen University, believes that it is necessary for IOF to provide high-level training and education material accessible for all clinicians. He said, "It is our job as professors to pass on all the decades of experience to the young professionals." Innovation in tradition, and inheritance in innovation this is exactly the original intention of the 1st IOF International Orthodontic Symposium.
Traveling through 5,000 years of human civilization, across oceans and mountains and rivers, a group of people called "orthodontists" have come together and gathered at IOF with a common vision: every orthodontic treatment portrays our pursuit of beauty.
IOF (International Orthodontics Foundation) is an international academic organization in orthodontics and related fields. Founded by CareCapital Group and eminent orthodontists around the world, the organization is committed to supporting cutting-edge research and providing quality training and education.
Founding members of IOF from North America, Europe, and China are devoted to making the foundation an academic platform for the orthodontic industry with international standards and practice, a global vision, and a strong commitment. Focus on improving patient care by providing comprehensive quality training and education, innovative and clinical research grants, and providing an international network to professionals for lifelong learning in orthodontics and related fields.
Founded in 2015, CareCapital Group is an investment and operation group in many businesses across the upstream, midstream and downstream segments of the global dental industry. Committed to becoming a pioneer in dentistry, CareCapital Group is focusing on scientific and technological research and development, medical education, information technology, and other fields. It holds operations and strategic investments in nearly 50 dental enterprises, covering Asia, North America, Europe, and other important regions in the world.
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Contacts:
Company: International Orthodontics Foundation Limited
Contact Person: Tong Zhou
Email: tong.zhou@iofglobal.org
Website: https://www.iofglobal.org
Telephone: +862155821505
City: Hong Kong
Address: Unit 1603, 16/F Tower 1, Silvercord 30 Canton RD TST KL, Hong Kong
