Dentists in the Asia-Pacific region have gathered in Seoul to exchange their latest academic knowledge and enhance networking.

The Korean Dental Association (KDA) said the 41st general meeting of the Asia-Pacific Dental Congress (APDC), the 54th KDA Scientific Congress and the 16th Seoul International Dental Exhibition (SIDEX 2019) are taking place at COEX, southern Seoul, from Wednesday through Sunday.

The international events will highlight the competence of the Korean dental industry, help dentists improve the oral health of the 4.5 billion people in the Asia-Pacific region in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and take a look at innovative dental care and cutting-edge dental equipment at a glance.

FDI World Dental Federation President Kathryn Kell, APDF/APRO President Fernando Fernandez, representatives of 21 Asia-Pacific members including Mongolia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Vietnam and FDI World Dental Federation members such as China, the U.S., Canada, and Germany will attend the events to discuss international cooperation for Asia-Pacific people’s dental health improvement.

The general meeting of APDC is taking place in Korea in 17 years after the last one in 2002. KDA President Kim Cheol-soo took office as president of APDF simultaneously with the opening of the APDF’s general assembly.

Kim is the fourth Korean dentist to serve as president of APDF. The former Korean presidents include Lee Yoo-kyung in 1967, Lee Jong-soo in 1989, and Lee Ki-taek in 2002. Kim will lead APDC until the group’s general assembly in May 2020.

“Beginning my term as the 30th president, I visited each country’s dental association events with FDI. I will make efforts so that APDF can continue to take part in FDI and keep pace with the global trends through international cooperation,” Kim said.