President’s Corner

 

What now? 

It is now approaching a full year since the Toronto Congress was held. Since then, we have enjoyed some success, a setback and a few challenges. 

The adopted declaration on Dentists and Torture was accepted and adopted by the FDI (with minor revisions) at its annual meeting in Dubai.  In collaboration with FDI representation, a paper was submitted to and accepted by the Journal of the American Dental Association on this issue.   As well, a collaborative summary of the Congress was submitted to the Journal of the Canadian Dental Association; we await peer review and editorial changes.

Perhaps one success we do not readily see is the worldwide contacts made at congresses such as ours for those who work in the area of dental ethics and law.  Papers, books and ongoing support that emanate from face to face meetings, have lead to the sharing of ideas and collaborations outside of the realm of IDEALS, and that must be viewed as a success.

Because of very generous sponsorship, the Toronto Congress left IDEALS with a surplus of funds in excess of eleven thousand dollars.  In addition, as part of our agreement with one of our earliest supporters, Dentistry Canada Fund, we were able to repay the entire grant with the proviso it be used for future ethics initiatives.

Membership continues to be an issue.  I keep reminding myself of the promise of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, or the law of entropy and decay.  (Without the application of external energy, all systems tend towards maximum randomness).

Regrettably, the planned congress for 2009 in Turkey could not be properly structured and we are now proceeding with plans to hold the next congress in Finland in 2010.  As yet, formal arrangements are pending.

If future congresses are to be held, much needed ‘external energy’ will be required.  As planning for 2010 progresses, we must start to think beyond that to 2012 and perhaps returning to Belgium would be most appropriate.  The board will be considering future congresses in the very near future.

Given our small numbers, our global membership, and the oddities of banking in various countries (particularly my own country of Canada), retaining and securing members remains a challenge in need of ‘external energy’.   We had hoped to see membership exceed one hundred and fifty members, but that level has been elusive. 

At this point, I appeal to all members and board members to work towards augmenting our membership numbers.  When a congress is imminent, we generally see an increase in membership.  With the next congress at least two years away, we really need to apply ‘external energy’ to insure a sustainable presence.

Richard Speers
President
Toronto, Canada