| International College of Dentists | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Recognizing Service and the Opportunity to Serve |
| Formation | 1927 |
| Type | Professional association |
| Headquarters | Rockville, MD |
| Location | International |
| Membership | 11,000 (2009) |
| Official languages | Multi-Lingual |
| President | Dr. Charles Siroky, DDS,FICD(AZ,USA) |
| Key people | Dr. Tsurukich Okumura, Dr. Louis Ottofy (Co-Founders) |
| Website | www.icd.org |
The International College of Dentists (ICD) is an organization of dentists from around the world who work to improve the profession through sharing and disseminating advances in dental knowledge and who seek to benefit their communities through voluntary service.
Contents |
"The International College of Dentists is a leading honorary dental organization dedicated to the recognition of outstanding professional achievement and meritorious service and the continued progress of dentistry for the benefit of all humankind."
The idea for the International College of Dentists was conceived at a farewell party for Dr. Louis Ottofy when he was returning home to the United States after practicing dentistry in the Philippines and Japan for 23 years. A colleague, Dr. Tsurukichi Okumura, a Japanese dentist, also urged Dr. Ottofy to form an internation organization.
Six years later, at an International Dental Congress in Philadelphia, U.S.A. the group of dentists met again to discuss the concept of the ICD then on New Year's Eve of 1927 the College was founded with Drs. Ottofy and Okumura as the Co-Founders.
Originally, 250 dentists from 162 countries accepted the Fellowship oath. The group was selected based on an international reputation and participation in the FDI World Dental Federation. Each Fellow was given the task of nominating other dentists for membership based with the following instructions:
"Please nominate the ablest, most progressive, best educated, ethical practitioner in your country, regardless of his place of domicile, nationality, race, color or religion."
The Board of Governors came from Cuba, England, U.S.A., Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Austria, Japan, China, India, Uruguay, Australia and South Africa.
In the year following the initial formation of the ICD membership grew such that autonomous regions were required. Dentists who are inducted into the organization place the post-nominals FICD with their name.
In the 1960s the Philippines section grew then the Middle East section. In the 1980s the South American section was formed. Today, the organization boasts a membership of approximately 11,000 (2009) from hundreds of countries.
SECTIONS OF THE COLLEGE (2009):
Section I United States of America (1934)
Section II Canada (1948)
Section III Mexico (1980)
Section IV South America (1981)
Section V Europe, Israel (1955)
Section VI India, Sri Lanka (1964)
Section VII Japan (1958)
Section VIII Australasian, New Zealand, Fiji Islands (1964)
Section IX Philippine Islands (1966)
Section X Middle East - Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Muscar, Oman, all Arab Emirates, and Yemen (1967)
Section XI Korea (1985)
Section XII Chinese Taipei (1994)
Section XX International Section - Fourteen Regions
This International Division of the College has no special geographical boundaries and provides a Section for Fellows living outside an official autonomous Section. China currently falls into this Division but may form its own autonomous regions eventually.
The ICD brings together members of the profession through regular local meetings of the fellows, arranging exchanges of students from around the world and recognizing meritorious service on the part of dentists. For instance, in 2008 Dr. Moriyama, the ICD president, presented recognition plaques to dentists, students and donors in Delhi and Agra. For many countries, induction of professionals into the College is considered a point of pride.[1][2] Each year, the president of the ICD travels the world visiting various schools, organizations and leaders to promote oral health.[3]
In 2008, fifteen ICD Fellows of Myanmar Region 34 with eight assistants went to cyclone-affected townships in the Delta and Dadeyae areas, providing free dental care and making some donations to the people in the camps under the name of the ICD organization. Over 235 patients were treated. Similar dental missions occur throughout the year and around the world to underserviced areas under the name of the ICD. Other projects are sponsored by ICD around the world.,[4] For a more detailed list of humanitarian projects see the list at ICD USA Projects
The ICD is working with King's College, London to promote the International Virtual Dental School IVIDENT with the aim of providing some dental courses through an online environment. The benefit is that specialist and advanced dental education and leading research can eventually be brought to dentists in remote areas where experts are not available for continuing education.
In Vietnam and Cambodia training for public health dentistry has been limited because of funds and experts in the field. Through an ICD sponsored program, roughly 40% of the public health dentists were given additional training. Another 20% of them went on to receive higher education (graduate) degrees in public health dentistry. While these programs do not directly provide care to patients in either country, they develop practical skills for dentists in designing programs for their populations. The organization has also worked to increase fluoridation in developing countries with high decay rates.
To keep members and the public up to date about the activities of the ICD publications are published by each of the autonomous sections and most maintain their own web sites. The ICD Headquarters also publishes an annual journal called The Globe[5] and a quarterly newsletter called The College Today [6]