BAHRAIN, Kingdom of

Dr. Robin O'Sullivan, past Section Chair of Ireland, reports inducting Dr. Ameera Radhi of Bahrain into PFA Fellowship last July at a Reception in the President's Office at RCSI--Medical University of Bahrain. Dr. Radhi is the first dentist in the kingdom of Bahrain to receive this honour. She graduated in Ireland before taking her specialty training in Prosthodontics in London. This new PFA Section in the Kingdom of Bahrain held their Charter Night Dinner on Saturday, 28 July 2007 hosted by Robin O'Sullivan.

INDIA

President William Winspear attended the India Section's Hall of Fame Installation of Dr. Rafiuddin Ahmed in New Dehli on September 11 during their all-day Meeting. Dr. Winspear addressed the India Section on this occasion saying, "It is with much pleasure that I look forward to joining you in New Dehli, in celebration of the life and extraordinary achievements of Dr. Rafiuddin Ahmed on the occasion of his Induction into the PFA International hall of Fame."

"Dr. Ahmed was not only a gentleman who committed his life to dentistry and ensuring that the delivery of oral health services in India was of the highest standard, but also amagnificent humanitarian who was dedicated to serve the people of his beloved country. The excellence of the dental profession of India is founded in Dr. Ahmed's farsighted vision, integrity, and relentless determination.

"Like Pierre Fauchard, Dr. Ahmed was a pioneer who held a stead fast belief in himself and what he could accomplish. Both these legends of our profession were undaunted by obstacles that they encountered throughout their lives; they allowed nothing to deter them from fulfilling their dreams.

"I am most grateful to all Fellows of India for the strong and vital leadership that they provide in support of the continuing success of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, an organization whose members are inspired by the selfless contributions of dentists of the stellar caliber of Dr. Ahmed.

"On behalf of the Officers and Trustees of the International Board of the Academy and its Fellows throughout the world, I convey warm greetings and sincere appreciation to the India Section and its enthusiastic Fellowship."

JAPAN

Japan Section Chair Toshio Morioka held two scholarship presentations. One was at Tokushima University School of Dentistry and the other was at Nihon University School of Dentistry at Matsudo to honor recipients Mayuko Takashima and Ryo Fujimaki.

PHILIPPINES

Chair Diampo Lim reports their Section carving out a deep name for itself in his country. He started with 13 members in 1978 and now has six Life Members, 86 Active Fellows, 17 Inactive members, and one Honorary Member, including some of the country's top dental leaders, particularly from theManila Metro District. They held a Meeting last December with Fellow Paul D. Achacoso as speaker on Dental Implants. Their annual Meeting was held last April to finalize drafting of their Section's Constitution and Bylaws. The March Meeting conducted their Third Outreach Program and interacted with some 400 elementary school children at Saisang School in Bugac, Bataan, the hometown of our Elmer Best recipient Dr. Primo E. Gonzales, a PFA life member. Dental treatment was provided for some elderly patients, along with distribution of oral health cleaning items, pediatric medicines, vitamins, school knapsacks, pencils, paper, cookies, face towels, and bath soaps.

The 27th Annual Meeting and Convocation was held at the G Hotel with 18 new Fellows inducted into membership. Their new Induction Ceremony included receiving ribbons, pins, and certificates But they were also robed with a sash in the PFA colors. It was a solemn rite.

New Section Officers were inducted into office by Region 9 Trustee Professor-emeritus Mamoru Sakuda. Outstanding Philippine Chair, Dean Diampo Lim, turned over his office to Fellow Hermogenes P. Villareal. Chairman of their Board of Dentistry, Dr. Ma. Teresa de Jesus-Amador, a PFA Fellow, was in attendance, as well. PFA International President William Winspear will formally install the new Philippine Chairman in San Francisco during the Luncheon Banquet.

The Annual Meeting guest speaker was Dr. Jorge M. Garcia, a famous cardiac surgeon who was the Founder of the Asian Hospital and Medical Center. The PFA Section awarded posthumously their Outstanding Dentist award to the late former Section Chair (up to 2000) Dr. Ruben C. Navia for his dedication and leadership. His widow, Mrs. Lourdes Navia, accepted the honor with their children.

The new Philippine Officers for 2007-2008 are: Chairman Hermogenes P. Villareal, Vice Chair Paul D. Achacoso, Secretary Ma. Cristina Aurea G. Garcia, Assistant Secretary Vivian Gabaldon, Treasurer Norma A. Tui, Auditor Olegario G. Clemente, Jr., P.R.O. Manuel Centeno, Board of Directors Antonio Baldemor and Robert M. Tajonera, with Advisors Rufino M. Achacoso, Primo E. Gonzales, and Sofronio P. San Juan. Dean Diampo Lim is Immediate Past Chairman.

Fellow Primo E. Gonzales was honored with the Outstanding Dentist of 2007 award from the Professional Regulation Commission last June at the Westin Plaza Hotel in Manila.

UNITED STATES

Alaska

Chair James A. Cerney of Fairbanks held a meeting last year with a speaker from Washington, D.C., who stated that the top three recognized professional organizations are ADA, AGD, and PFA.

CALIFORNIA, Northern Section

Dean Art Dugoni was honored by the Edward B. Shils Entrepreneurial Education Fund with their 2007 Shils Award last June for his outstanding leadership and exemplary service to the dental community, dental education, and public oral health. The Shils Entrepreneurial Education Fund was established in 2002 by prominent leaders from the dental industry, academic communities, and nonprofit organizations who funded this in an effort to keep alive the legacy of Dr. Edward B. Shils. Dr. Shils was a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton College and Executive Director of the Manufacturers of America, a legend in his time.

Dr. Arthur Dugoni, a dental legend himself, and ADA Foundation President, has been honored for his lifetime of achievement unmatched by anyone else. He is an example of a PFA Fellow.

Iowa

In an article entitled "Remarkable Women in Dentistry," our own Fellow Kathryn Kell, DDS, MCHA, "has influenced the profession of dentistry through her numerous posts on college, state, national, and international organizations." She has been a general practitioner since earning her dental degree in 1979. Dr. Kell has served as President of the American Association of Woman Dentists, President of the Iowa Dental Association, and currently is the 10th District Trustee for the ADA. Kathy has been active in FDI as well and served as our PFA Mentorship Chairman for a time. Dr. Kell has influenced policy, education, and prevention efforts through her roles as Chair of the FDI Congress and Education Committee, Chair of the ADA's Future of Dentistry Report and Global Oral Health Panel, and as a consultant to the ADA for its Council on Annual Sessions and International Programs.

Her service has earned her several awards, including the Dentist of the Year Award from the Pierre Fauchard Academy and the Iowa Dental Association's Outstanding Service Award. Dr. Kell practices in Davenport, Iowa.

Lindsay Compton, recipient of the 2006 PFA James Brophy, Sr. Memorial Scholarship Award, was cited in the article "Remarkable Women in Dentistry." While still a student at the University of Iowa School of Dentistry, she has been awarded the PFA Scholarship, the James and Virginia Hoffer Scholarship, and the Dr. Richard Nelson Scholarship. She has received the Greenawalt Periodontics Award, the Iowa Dental Association's Honor Clinician Award, the AADR Bloc Travel Grant Award, and the Dean's Leadership Award for the last 3 years. Her research won her first place in the basic science category at the 2007 AADR Caulk Dentsply Research Competition. She has received funding from the NIDCR for 3 years for summer research grants. Lindsay was the University of Iowa's representative at the 43rd annual Dental Student Conference on Research in Maryland. She is an active member of the National Student Research Group, a Past President and Representative of the University of Iowa Student Research Group, Vice President of the Class of 2008, and Past President of the University of Iowa's Chapter of the American Association of Women Dentists.

The University of Iowa's 90th Dental Alumni Reunion, CEU courses, and the football game will be held on October 26-27, 2007. Friday at 8 A.M. will be registration, with UIDAA President Dan Kegler, Dean David Johnsen, and Director of Alumni Relations Penni Ryan speaking. Seminars on Research and Clinical Perspectives on Implant Dentistry by Dr. Clark Stanford; Dental Bonding: Current Status, Future Directions by Dr. Steven Armstrong; and The Digital Age Has Arrived: Image-Based Treatment Planning by Dr. Clark Stanford will be presented in the morning. The afternoon is reserved for the PFA Section Meeting and class reunion activities. The evening will commence with a no-host social hour at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Coralville, followed by the Alumni Dinner in the Kinnick Ballroom with the Awards Presentations.

The Saturday morning Pregame Professional Program will start at 8 A.M., with Dr. Peter Lund giving a presentation on Achieving Optimum Retention and Stability in Dentures for Severely Resorbed Ridges and Dr. Sherry Timmons' discussion on Infectious Diseases of the Oral Cavity: Diagnosis and Management. Game watch will commence one-half hour before game time at the Holiday Inn.

Alumni Awards will be presented to Dr. Gary B. Blodgett as the 2007 Alumnus of the Year, Dr. Wallace W. Johnson as the 2007 Educator of the Year, and to Dr. James H. Sommers for the 2007 Service Recognition Award.

The football game will be against Michigan State, whom Iowa did not play in 2006. Your Editor attended the Hawkeyes' Opening Game this year against NIU in Chicago's Soldier Field. Iowa's fans filled 80% of the stadium and won the game handily.

New Hampshire

Chair David Stahl reports holding their Annual Meeting to induct new Fellows. Addressing the meeting was their Dean.

North Carolina

Section Chair Neil D. Lutins of Greensboro held their annual Induction Dinner Ceremony last July to welcome in new Fellows Drs. Rex Card of Raleigh, Lindy Bolton of Reidsville, and William Litaker of Hickory.

Our North Carolina PFA Section participated in the United StatesDepartment ofDefense EuropeanCommand Project in Chisinau, Moldova. Moldova is basically an orphan country and one of the poorest in Eastern Europe. Its history is convoluted. Being situated along major travel routes between Asia and Europe, the land has been conquered many times. Moldova is nestled between Romania on the west along the Prut River and the Ukraine in the east bordered by the Dniester River. In the more recent history this had been known as the Principality of Moldova. Its prime products are agriculturalwith nomajor ore deposits. Being land-locked but close to the Black Sea, with a poor economy, it has been a stepchild to larger area interests. At various times it has been controlled by Romania; annexed to Russia in1912, becoming Moldova SSR under the Soviet Union until 1940; then acceded to Nazi Germany through partition to Romania until the Soviets retook the area and attempted to denationalize it for neighboring countries of the Soviets. In 1991 Moldova established its independence but has been unable to remove the Soviet Army completely. Their government has had trouble finding an identity with one third of the population speaking and adhering to Moldovian, one third Romanian, and one third Russian. The 4.3 million people are mostly Eastern Orthodox Christian. Currently they are slipping west and are trying to join the European Union.

The advances by the United States are very low key so as not to disturb the balance, as Russia is trying again to denationalize the culture, while Romania is trying to strengthen its influence.

So this joint project has helped the poor country and introduced the U.S. into the mix. Through the Department of Defense, the U.S. has instituted programs to bring in civilian personnel to participate in humanitarian and civic assistance executed by the Bilateral Affairs Office in Moldova since 2006.

Two professors from the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry, Vickie Overman and Charlotte Peterson, immunized 2,710 children against chickenpox and provided fluoride treatments to some 4,686 children in 25 boarding schools and orphanages in 11 cities.

Four medical and dental soldiers from the North Carolina National Guard assisted in the project. In 2005 their first project was vaccinating 1,400 children against hepatitis and providing 5,000 fluoride treatments. Private contributions from North Carolina helped to defray the costs to allow more time to carry out these services. Some of those private funds were from the North Carolina PFA Section supporting this program.

Dental exams were also conducted to establish a dental health baseline for the country to help establish long-term programs to begin treatment for their very serious dental situation.

Oklahoma

The ADA News published a photo of the dedication of the Pierre Fauchard statue with ADA President Kathleen Roth, ODA Centennial President Pam Low, and our own President William Winspear taken at the unveiling of the statue. Great publicity, Bill!

The Oklahoma Dental Association is celebrating 100 years of representing the dental interests in their State. The first dental office was opened in 1885 in Savanna, Choctaw Nation, by Dr. J.E. Wright. The Oklahoma Territorial Dental Association was organized in 1891 and the Indian Territory Dental Association was formed in 1903. With Statehood, one organization, called the Oklahoma Dental Association, was founded at a joint meeting of the two groups on June 19, 1907.

To commemorate the Centennial, the ODA commissioned Fellow Gary Gardner, a past ODA President and a sculptor, as well as a dentist, to form a life-size statue of Pierre Fauchard (1678-1761), the Father of Modern Dentistry. Pierre Fauchard, after whom our Academy is named, is also the first plaque in our Hall of Fame in Paris. To help defray the cost of making the statue, 1,000 smaller replicas were made to offer to the public for purchase at $1,400 contribution each. No more will be offered for sale, made, or authorized after they are gone. These statues will therefore be a limited edition. Our own President James Englander has one of the commemorative Fauchard statues.

The Oklahoma Dental Association has 1,500 member dentists and is headquartered in their new building in Oklahoma City.

Wisconsin

Dr. Eva C. Dahl, DDS, MA, MS, was mentioned in an article entitled "Remarkable Women in Dentistry." Dr. Dahl began her dental career at the University of Iowa, graduating as valedictorian of her class. She pursued further training in oral pathology, endodontics, and instructional design and technology. She opened her practice in Wisconsin while being active in organized dentistry and serving as President of the Wisconsin Dental Association. She has held many leadership positions in the ADA and for the University of Iowa Alumni Association. Hardly a year passes that Dr. Dahl has not received some honor for service to the profession, including the Lucy Hobbs Taylor Award, the American Association of Women Dentists outstanding Service Award, the University of Iowa's Dental Alumni Association's Alumnus of the Year Award, and the Pierre Fauchard Academy's Award.

Dr. Dahl practices in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.