 |
Michele Aerden is a dentist and was president of the FDI World Dental Federation from 2005 to 2007. She was the first woman ever to be elected president of this non-profit organization and worked to promote oral health within the World Health Organization and worldwide.
Michèle Aerden was born in Hasselt, Belgium. She has been married to Guy Warlop since 1966 and has two sons, two daughters in law and five grandchildren. At the age of 20, Michèle started and ran a small business with 13 employees in haute couture. She then closed her company and started dental studies at the age of 28. In 1977, Michèle graduated with distinction in dental studies from the ULB, Université Libre de Bruxelles.
Michèle practices in her own private dental clinic in Brussels, Belgium. She has been very involved in the Belgian Dental Association.
Activities in the national level:
Chambres Syndicales Dentaires which were created in 1994 by the merger of the two French speaking dental chambers:
- Councillor 1994–2016
- Vice- President 1995-1997 and 2000
- President 2003- 2004 (first woman president of a Dental association in Belgium)
Conseil de l’Art Dentaire: advisory committee to the Minister of Health:
- Member 2013-2015: Member of the WG “Deontologie”
- Member 1999-2006
- Leader of the WG : Compétences particulières
Michèle Aerden was Vice-President and President of the Chambres Syndicales Dentaires. Her first international involvement was as the Belgian delegate to the FDI. She then served as the Chair of the Individual Members Committee and as a member of the Committee of Ethics from 1994 to 1997. In the FDI European Regional Organization, she was the founder and leader of the working group on women in dentistry and a member of the working group on social security in Europe. She became a member of the FDI Council in 1997, the second woman to be nominated to that position. She served as a member of the Committee of Developing Countries from 1998 to 2001 and was a member of the group strategy. She started Women Dentists Worldwide in 2001; this group published the Kuala Lumpur Declaration. In the FDI Council, she led the governance task force from 2003 to 2004 and became President-Elect in 2003 and President in 2005.
Activities on the international level:
FDI: World Dental Federation, is a federation of 191 National and International associations from all over the world representing 1 million dentists. The Vision and Mission can be found on: www.fdiworldental.org
ERO: European Regional Organisation of the FDI represents 40 European countries
CED: Dental Liaison Committee of the European Commission (advisory committee founded by EU):
As a member of the Council, she was part of the Committee of developing countries and member of the Task Force “Strategy; From Mission to action”. During her period as President-Elect (2004–2005), Michèle centred her efforts with the review of the FDI governance and finances. Consequently, the new governance was adopted and the constitution adapted. Under her Presidency, the FDI made had a positive balance sheet for the first time in ten years.
During her presidency, Michèle Aerden decided to be focus on 3 issues:
1) Excellency
Excellency at all levels of the organization; the FDI has performed exceptionally well during her tenure. The Annual World Dental Congresses organized by the FDI were very successfully. Policy Statements were reviewed, improved and renewed. During the General Assembly of 2007, the FDI decided to implement the World Oral Health Day, which will be held on 12 September each year.
As President, Michèle Aerden gave a new positioning to the FDI President’s role. During each of her visits in nearly 60 countries, she consistently met the President of the country or the Prime Minister, and the Ministers of Health and sometimes Minister of Education in order to advocate for a strategy of Oral Health integrated into the strategy of General Health through prevention, planning and budget. “No general health without oral health !!” was her leitmotiv. She obtained tangible results during those visits and always received large media coverage.En 2005 presentó en Madrid el libro "Las primeras mujeres dentistas en España" escrito por el doctor Julio González Iglesias,siendo recibida por la doctora Pilar Martín Santiago,presidenta de la Asociación de Mujeres Dentistas en España (AMUDENES).
2) Medical Positioning of the Profession
Michèle Aerden is convinced that it is necessary to increase the recognition of the dental profession as a fully medical profession. Twice she introduced a candidate of the dental field for the Nobel Prize in Medicine. In 2007, for the first time in 26 years, a resolution concerning Oral health was on the agenda of the WHO. The resolution was adopted on 23 May 2007 by the 191 countries member of the WHO and the Director general of WHO, Dr Chan, recognized the urgency to acknowledge oral diseases and their impact on the socio-economic development of a country.
3) Ethics
Ethics are the foundation to the success of the dental profession and organisations. Without ethics, there's no trust nor credibility. It's under her presidency that the FDI launched the first “Dental Ethics Manual”. The FDI also launched conferences tackling ethics and its role in international health NGOs.
Travelling around the globe with the message ‘No general health without oral health» allows Michèle Aerden to meet and collaborate with exceptional personalities beyond the dental world: Professor Muhammad Yunus (micro credits) Dr Bertrand Piccard (ballooner) Madame WU Yi, (vice-President China Republic of people) Michelle Bachelet (President of Chilli) etc.
Through her 20 years of activities with the FDI, and certainly in the last two years as president, the contribution of Michèle Aerden to improving the quality of life and well-being of hundred of millions of people is recognized by her peers with numerous awards and also by the FDI partners and the dental industry.
2008
2007
2006
2005
Honorary member of the Armenian Dental association
2004
2002
Honorary Member of the American Dental Association
Dr. Aerden has spoken at the following conferences:
Public Health
Oral Health and General Health
Ethics
Industry
Women in Dentistry, Women Leadership
Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions of the mouth, most commonly focused on dentition as well as the oral mucosa. Dentistry may also encompass other aspects of the craniofacial complex including the temporomandibular joint. The practitioner is called a dentist.
The British Dental Association (BDA) is a registered trade union for dentists in the United Kingdom.
Prosthodontics, also known as dental prosthetics or prosthetic dentistry, is the area of dentistry that focuses on dental prostheses. It is one of 12 dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association (ADA), Royal College of Surgeons of England, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow, Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons. The ADA defines it as "the dental specialty pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment planning, rehabilitation and maintenance of the oral function, comfort, appearance and health of patients with clinical conditions associated with missing or deficient teeth or oral and maxillofacial tissues using biocompatible substitutes."
A dental hygienist or oral hygienist is a licensed dental professional, registered with a dental association or regulatory body within their country of practice. Prior to completing clinical and written board examinations, registered dental hygienists must have either an associate's or bachelor's degree in dental hygiene from an accredited college or university. Once registered, hygienists are primary healthcare professionals who work independently of or alongside dentists and other dental professionals to provide full oral health care. They have the training and education that focus on and specialize in the prevention and treatment of many oral diseases.
Dental professionals, in writing or speech, use several different dental notation systems for associating information with a specific tooth. The three most common systems are the FDI World Dental Federation notation, the Universal Numbering System, and the Palmer notation. The FDI notation is used worldwide, and the Universal is used widely in the United States. The FDI notation can be easily adapted to computerized charting.
The FDI World Dental Federation is an international organization representing the dental profession to oral health by developing health policies, education programs, and advocating for dentistry internationally.
The University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine is the dental school of the University of Puerto Rico. It is located on the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the only dental school in Puerto Rico. It is accredited by the American Dental Association.
The American Dental Society of Anesthesiology (ADSA) is an American professional association established in 1953 and based in Chicago.
The Ordre des dentistes du Québec (ODQ) represents all Quebec dentists, both generalists and specialists. It is headquartered in Montreal.
There is a long history of women in dentistry in the United States.
There is a long history of women in dentistry. Women are depicted as assistant dentists in the Middle Ages. Prior to the 19th century, dentistry was largely not yet a clearly defined and regulated profession with formal educational requirements. Individual female dentists are known from the 18th century. When the profession was regulated in the 19th century, it took a while before women achieved the formal education and permission to engage in dentistry.
Derek William Jones was a British-born Canadian academic who was Professor Emeritus of Applied Oral Science and Biomaterials at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
The World Health Professions Alliance is an international organization which represents more than 31 million health care professionals worldwide. The Alliance unites dentistry, medicine, nursing, physical therapy and pharmacy through their representative international organizations, the International Council of Nurses (ICN), the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), World Physiotherapy, the FDI World Dental Federation and the World Medical Association (WMA).
The Uganda Dental Association (UDA) is a registered non-governmental organization that brings together all the qualified dental surgeons retired or practicing in Uganda. Headquartered in Uganda's capital city Kampala, the UDA serves its members and the public by managing key oral health issues on their behalf and by coordinating dental health awareness programs across the nation.
Arthur A. Dugoni was the former dean of the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry at University of the Pacific and a national leader in dentistry and dental education.
John C. Greene was an American dentist and public health administrator. He was a rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and served as the Deputy Surgeon General of the United States under President Carter from 1978 to 1981. He was the Acting Surgeon General from January to May 1981 under Ronald Reagan. He was the highest ranking non-physician public health officer in the history of the U.S. government.
The American Association of Public Health Dentistry (AAPHD), founded in 1937, focuses upon addressing the public health challenges to oral health at the population level. Its open membership for everyone who seeks improvement in oral health of the general public. supports developing and supporting effective programs of oral health promotion and disease prevention. It is headquartered in Springfield, Illinois.
Stanley Gelbier is emeritus professor of dental public health and honorary professor of the history of dentistry at King's College London. He is a past president of the History of Medicine Society, and the former curator of the British Dental Association's museum.
International Association of Paediatric Dentistry (IAPD) is a non-profit organization founded in 1969. The objective of IAPD is to contribute to the promotion of oral health for children around the world.