Singapore - The 10th edition of the International Dental Exhibition and Meeting (IDEM) took place from 13-15 April 2018 at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre with over 9,000 visitors, more than 30 international speakers and around 550 exhibitors. Co-organised by Koelnmesse and the Singapore Dental Association, Asia Pacific’s cornerstone event in dentistry celebrates close to 20 years of clinical excellence with a line-up of exciting events, in addition to its exhibition and main scientific conference. 

“IDEM continues to be the foundation exhibition and scientific conference for dentistry in the Asia Pacific. This year, we are proud to bring delegates an even stronger programme that is dedicated to help them achieve clinical excellence in dentistry. Our collaboration with the Singapore Dental Association has also grown from strength to strength, and we look forward to many more fruitful years of collaboration,” said Mathias Kuepper, Managing Director at Koelnmesse Pte Ltd. 

Building on the 2016 edition, the conference theme was ‘Striving for Clinical Excellence’. The conference programme included its inaugural “live” patient demonstration on stage, lectures and masterclasses presented by leading experts and world-renowned doctors.

Key conference sessions included: 

• Masterclass lectures by Dr Galip Gurel, Founder and Honorary President of EDAD, Turkish Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry. Dr. Gurel will also be presenting a hands-on workshop titled, Revolution in 3D Smile Design: The REBEL; 
• The additive approach to complex rehabilitation: Digital workflow meets the art of science and dentistry with Dr Christopher Ho, Specialist Prosthodontist;
• A Rational workflow in the treatment and restoration of endodontically treated teeth by Professor Simone Grandini, Head of Department and Chair of Endodontics and Restorative Dentistry, Siena University;
• Periodontal treatment in the 21st century: From research to clinical practice by Dr Magda Feres, Dean for Dental Research and Graduate Education and Professor (Periodontal Department) at Guarulhos University; and 
• Managing the Ageing Population, where dental professionals will learn skills and techniques for treating older patients from various speakers

Aside from these, additional hands-on workshops were present for before, during and after IDEM to give dental professionals maximum opportunity to learn the latest in dentistry and collect Continuing Education Points.

Exhibits of note

The IDEM 2018 exhibition has increased by over 2,000 sqm to 20,000 sqm, of which 80% was reserved by pavilions, manufacturers and distributors from across the world, who exhibited the latest technologies, products and services in dentistry. This edition's Singapore Pavilion at IDEM 2018, boasts to be the largest Singapore Pavilion to date, occupying 666 sqm with 34 exhibitors, a 21% increase over the previous edition.

New to the exhibition at IDEM 2018 were two pavilions from Australia and Poland, bringing the total number of country and regional pavilions to 14. A hosted buyers programme and a personalized business matching programme facilitated meetings between the attendees and leading international manufacturers and distributors. 

“IDEM is the best event in Southeast Asia to uncover the latest trends being discussed in dentistry. The Singapore Dental Association is proud that IDEM calls Singapore home and, taking the tenth edition to look forward, is excited to see what new innovations the leading dental exhibition and conference in the Asia Pacific will continue to bring to the region,” said Dr Lim Lii, President, Singapore Dental Association. 

The 10th edition of IDEM also featured a memory lane of past events, including photographs, statistics and quotes from participants across all previous editions.