Launched in last July, in Rio de Janeiro ( Brazil ), the Global Caries Initiative aims to outline strategies for a world free of caries by 2020, through coordinated action for a global alliance involving research, education, practice, public health, dental industry, civil society and governments. The initiative is promoted by the World Dental Federation (FDI), International Association for Dental Research (IADR), International Federation of Dental Educators and Associations (IFDEA), with the support of ABO National.

The project was launched at the Global Caries Conference (Rio Caries Conference), in partnership with ABO National. It was held during the International Congress of Dentistry of ABO Rio de Janeiro, and from this first meeting, a document ‘Call to Action' will be drafted, coordinated by the chairman of the event, Roberto Vianna, who takes over as president of FDI in Singapore.

According to FDI's chairman, Burton Conrod, five conferences will be held in three years. Another two ones will happen later this year, in Singapore and in New York . " The target is to motivate the professionals and seek control of caries by the year 2020 ," said Conrod.

"Many important issues were raised at the first conference. We have many challenges ahead, so it is important we keep together," added Vianna. And the chairman of ABO National, Norberto Lubiana, concluded: "With the union between the entities and speakers from all over the world, we will build better days for Dentistry and oral health. In the conference objective a political component must be included. One cannot rely only on available resources. The entities have to come together to request more resources to the health, from government”.

Latin America more united

The first Conference was specially addressed to actions in the Latin America , and the expectations are good. "We are sure that the Latin American professionals will be able to develop strategies for change. We will meet soon with the Latin American Dental Federation (Fola) and the coordinators of oral health and universities of these countries," said the FDI's executive-director, David Alexander.

Fola's president, Adolfo Rodríguez, acknowledged the entity's importance in the Initiative: "In this globalized world, we must to put our countries into a single unified position to support oral health. We must also encourage more practical researches, new intervention procedures, among others.

The Global Caries Conference (Rio Caries Conference) gathered together the following speakers: Annemarie Schuller (Netherlands), Gilberto Pucca Jr, coordinator of Oral Health of the Ministry of Health (chief dental officer), Armando Hernandez (Mexico), Ana Maria Acevedo (Venezuela), Amid Ismail, Ramon Baez, Patrick Ferrillo, Dan Meyer (USA), Stefania Martignon (Colombia), Jaime Cury, Samuel Moysés (Brazil) and Nermin Yamalik (Turkey).

In 15 minutes, ABO has become allied to FDI

Burton Conrod, IDF's president, emphasized once again, during the opening of the 19 th Ciorj, the important role of ABO in the world entity – it is the largest delegation - and the scientific weight that Brazil has in the international community. Conrod reported he had first met ABO's president, Norberto Lubiana, in 2003. "He had made a 14-hour trip to speak for 15 minutes about ABO to the FDI's Council. In that short period of time, he showed how strong ABO is, and since then the organization is increasingly showing its value, and it has also volunteer for the worldwide launch of the Global Caries Initiative, here in Rio ".

Burton still said achieved three of his objectives: elect Roberto Vianna for the presidency of FDI - he takes its office in Singapore; bring to Brazil the Caries Conference, held in Rio in July, and the Annual Congress of FDI - 2010, which will be held in Salvador, from September 2 nd to 5 th .