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The Vital Dent Foundation is non-profit making organisation whose mission is to help spreading dental health habits and prevention. The Foundation is present in those countries where Vital Dent operates, such as Spain, Portugal and Italy.
Main areas of activity are:
The Vital Dent Foundation sponsors dentistry research via the awarding of annual prizes which range from 10 to €40,000. Although originally prizes were awarded only in Spain, since the 5th Edition the scope of countries has been extended to Italy, Portugal and United States.
In the last edition (6th edition), prizes have been split in 3 categories:
With the collaboration of non-profit organizations, the Vital Dent Foundation and its team of volunteers focus on two lines of activity: the Smile Route and the Permanent Solidarity Centre.
Together with the NGO Solidariamente, the Vital Dent Foundation offers its experience in the dental field to people who happen not to be born in a country of the wrongly called First World. Three editions have already taken place, and they have managed to perform more than 24,000 interventions, including mouth cleanings, piece extractions, filling and sealing. These editions have developed in Morocco, although the plan is to extend the reach to other equally needed countries.
The main objective is to create this centre in Morocco to insure that actions taken through the Smile Route initiative are not isolated and can be continuously developed on a daily basis with the help of Vital Dent dentist under local coordination.
One of the Foundation’s main objectives is to inform the young about the importance of dental care in their life’s health. Messages are passed with the help of a pet, the "Perez Mouse", who visits plenty of schools in Spain to make dental healthcare amusing for children.
The Institute’s objective is to provide continuous training to dentists to make available the newest and most advanced methodologies and techniques being used in the oral health field. The Institute runs five departments:
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.
Cosmetic dentistry is generally used to refer to any dental work that improves the appearance of teeth, gums and/or bite. It primarily focuses on improvement in dental aesthetics in color, position, shape, size, alignment and overall smile appearance. Many dentists refer to themselves as "cosmetic dentists" regardless of their specific education, specialty, training, and experience in this field. This has been considered unethical with a predominant objective of marketing to patients. The American Dental Association does not recognize cosmetic dentistry as a formal specialty area of dentistry. However, there are still dentists that promote themselves as cosmetic dentists.
A number of professional degrees in dentistry are offered by dental schools in various countries around the world.
The UCLA School of Dentistry is the dental school of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) located in the Center for Health Sciences building in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. The school has several educational and training programs, conducts oral and dental health research, and offers affordable dental care at three locations: Westwood, Venice, and Inglewood. The school also participates in several outreach endeavors, including numerous health fairs during the year, STEM pipeline programs and provides dental care for underserved populations in the region. The School of Dentistry is considered among the nation's best research-intensive dental schools.
In dentistry, a veneer is a layer of material placed over a tooth. Veneers can improve the aesthetics and function of a smile and protect the tooth's surface from damage.
Greene Vardiman Black was an American dentist and academic. He was one of the founders of modern dentistry in the United States. He is also known as the father of operative dentistry.
The Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent UK professional body committed to enabling dental specialists to provide patients with the highest possible standards of practice and care. The faculty is an integral part of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and is located at the College's headquarters in Lincoln's Inn Fields in London.
Dentistry throughout the world is practiced differently, and training in dentistry varies as well.
The Melbourne Dental School is one of the graduate schools of the University of Melbourne. In addition to the 4-year graduate dental program the Doctor of Dental Surgery, the school offers specialty training programs combined with the Doctor of Clinical Dentistry degree, advanced training programs, and research degrees including M.Sc. and Ph.D. programs. According to the QS World Rankings, it is the highest ranking dental school in Australia and often ranks among the top 25 in the world.
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.
British United Provident Association Limited, trading as Bupa, is a British multinational health insurance and healthcare company with over 43 million customers worldwide.
Special needs dentistry, also known as special care dentistry, is a dental specialty that deals with the oral health problems of geriatric patients, patients with intellectual disabilities, and patients with other medical, physical, or psychiatric issues.
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.
Smile Mission is an Italian Association of volunteers, whose aim is supplying dental and medical care to anyone in need of help. Its denomination in full is Associazione Smile Mission Solidarietà Odontoiatrica Internazionale - ETS- ODV. Smile Mission is seated in via Giuseppe Zorzi 7, in Verona, the city in which it was founded 29 June 2005.
Computers and software have been used in dental medicine since the 1960s. Since then, computers and information technology have spread progressively in dental practice. According to one study, in 2000, 85.1% of all dentists in the United States were using computers.
The European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) is a global non-profit organisation with a European core, which promotes periodontal science and practice, as well as awareness of gum health and gum disease to oral-health professionals, other medical professionals, policymakers, and the public. The EFP’s vision is “Periodontal health for a better life.”
There is a long history of women in dentistry in the United States.
Mahesh Verma is an Indian prosthodontist and the former Director and Principal of Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences. Currently, he is the Vice Chancellor of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. The Government of India awarded him, in 2014, with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for his contributions to the fields of medicine,
The Pierre Fauchard Academy is a volunteer-run, non-profit dental organization that was founded by Dr. Elmer S. Best, a dentist from Minnesota in 1936. The objective is the independence from commercial interests in dental research and its publications. Dr. Best endeavored to raise the professional standards. The academy is named after Pierre Fauchard (1678-1761), a French dentist who is considered the "Father of modern dentistry". Fauchard wrote a book entitled Le Chirurgien dentiste, ou Traité des dents, the first dental textbook of modern times.