President’s Corner

During the 1998 Third International Congress on Dental Law and Ethics in London, it was decided that the Fourth International Congress should be held in the Netherlands. The Dutch Dental Association volunteered to organize it. We all have received the flyers that announced the congress, the call for papers and the registration form. The venue of the Congress is the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, situated in "Het Trippenhuis" in the center of Amsterdam. Your hosts are Klaas-Jan Bakker, chairman of the congress and his co-organisers Bart Admiraal, Wolter Brands, Simone Koops-Ouwerkerk and Marita Mantle-Kloosterboer. The topic of the Congress is "Responsibility and liability in oral health care".

The keynote speakers at the Congress are Prof. Thierry Vansweevelt (Belgium), Prof. B. Pollack (USA), R. Stenvik (Norway), D. Schulze-Wilk (Germany), J. Welie (USA), Prof J. Legemaate (Netherlands), Prof F. Van Wijmen (Netherlands) and S. Strijbos (Netherlands). In the good old tradition of previous congresses, each set of keynote presentations is followed by a panel discussion. That allows all participants to take part in the discussion. Those who have attended the previous congresses will remember that these discussions were very vivid and clarifying.

We hope that all of you will attend this congress for three reasons. First of all, because of the exciting congress program. Secondly because it is the forum where each of us can meet (again) colleagues and persons with the same interests. And last but not least because it will be the first time that the membership of IDEALS will convene. IDEALS will hold its first General Assembly on the afternoon of Thursday, October 25, 2001. We will have elections for board officers, including our president-elect, and the members of the Financial Review Committee. We will develop future plans for the Society. One of the aims of the Society is the organization of bi-annual congresses and the site for the 2003 congress will be decided during this meeting.

However, hosting a bi-annual congress is not enough. The Society will not be a sleeping, but an active society, which means that we plan to co-sponsor regional conferences as well; working groups and committees will discuss "hot" topics related to law and ethics in dentistry; and electronic media should foster on-going debate among all members. The Society will be an open society with a very broad view allowing all parties and sciences to contribute in these discussions. Hence, the most important task of the Board is to provide a forum where these discussions can take place.

So, if you have an interest in the field of ethics, law, sociology, philosophy or other such disciplines in relation to dental and oral health care, join our Society and become an active member. I hope to see all of you at the General Assembly in Amsterdam.

 
Yvo Vermylen
Founding President
Boortmeerbeek, Belgium