The Joint 37th International Association of Dental Researchers, Southeast Asia Scientific Meeting (IADR-SEA) and 2nd International Oral Health Symposium (IOHS) will be held in Singapore from 23* to 25 November 2023. Hosted by National Dental Research Institute Singapore, the conference themed “Applying Oral Research Excellence to Advocate Oral Health for All” will see an assembly of about 450 oral health researchers, scientists and oral health professionals from member countries in ASEAN as well as international researchers from Australia, Sweden, Japan and Hong Kong to showcase their research activities, foster collaborations and expand their collaborative research network.

Some of the key topics that will be covered include universal oral health coverage for all, oralsystemic health connection, microbiome modulation and periodontal disease, artificial intelligence, orofacial devices, digital dentistry technologies and more.

Against a backdrop of growing burden of oral diseases worldwide with 3.5 billion people afflicted the socio-economic burden they bring from direct costs such as treatment expenditures and indirect costs from lowered productivity due to absenteeism from work or school and reduced quality of life for those afflicted, can be substantial. The convergence of international dental researchers and oral health professionals at the IADR-SEA scientific meeting and IOHS is timely and plays a significant role in fostering collaboration and continuous learning for impactful research to improve oral health outcomes. 

The event held here highlights the National Dental Research Institute Singapore’s commitment for collaborative craniofacial, oral and dental research which will be instrumental in improving the quality and delivery of oral care for all in Singapore and beyond.