Exclusive Interview with the President of FDI World Dental Federation
By Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling GourmetTM
The intrepid Travelling Gourmet chats with Il Presidente…
MEETING Dr. Orlando Monteiro da Silva, the President of FDI World Dental Federation at IDEM 2012 was a great honour. Friendly and cheerful Dr. Orlando, as President of FDI headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, federates over 200 national dental associations and specialist groups, representing some 1,000,000 members of the Dental profession worldwide. It views oral health as a fundamental part of general health and well being and, as the global voice of the Dental profession, pursues its vision of leading the world to optimal oral health! Dr. Orlando was the Guest of Honour at the premier Dental event in South East Asia, IDEM 2012 in sunny Singapore.
Dr. Michael Lim: What is the FDI doing to promote Dental Health in Singapore?
Dr. Orlando: Role of FDI is to act at international level, FDI not having a role directly inSingapore, but have an impact at national level. The latest WHO declaration on non-communicable diseases mentions oral health, shares the same impact as cancer, diabetes, respiratory diseases and others. The FDI opens doors to oral health as a fundamental right of health in general. Over 60 million people are killed all over the world from chronic diseases. At international level, FDI integrates oral health into general health policy and national health systems. We also assist national Dental associations to advocate for better oral health. We work also close with dental industry as we are inter-dependent.
Dr. Michael Lim: The H1N1 so-called “pandemic ” turned out to be a ‘hoax’ as official reports from the European Commission have stated. Is FDI addressing such issues to prevent over-reaction in future?
Dr. Orlando: Re the H1N1 “pandemic”, approaches adopted may not always be the best one. Our big pandemic is actually tooth decay and periodontal disease, more debility than…morbidity. We want to address this in the Vision 2020 inHong Kongin September’s 2012 FDI. The challenge of prevention and to address this role of patient education. We want to promote different models of oral care. Implantology is having achievements but we need to address the cost issue in delivery and more importantly, the affordability to patients.
Dr. Michael Lim: Is FDI promoting artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes?
Dr. Orlando: We are following very close with IADR in the field of artificial sweeteners and alternatives, also the saliva issue in Dental Medicine. I prefer to call it Dental Medicine instead of Dentistry. We need a wider role for the profession. Saliva is very important…linking between oral health and general health is very important. We need to promote a wider role for Dentists and NOT just a myopic view!
On something close to my heart, I asked Dr. Orlando, “What wines do you like?”
Dr. Orlando: Port, Vinho Verde…I am from Porto inPortugal where Port is produced so I love Port! With all the respect for all the wines in the world…I have tried many. I still prefer the Portuguese wines.
Dr. Michael Lim: What food do you like?
Dr. Orlando: My favourite food is fish, Bacalau (dried cod)…the cod is fished in Canada and Labrador, and in theNorth Atlantic but it is our national dish. I like it simple…grilled fish with extra virgin olive oil. My wife is a Nutritionist so she makes sure I eat right at home! I like all kinds of food, I love the Cantonese cuisine…and Indian tastes and flavours.Portugal has a history of communication, the spice trade…
I could not agree more. As The Travelling Gourmet, I always say Gastronomy is the best thing to appreciate and connect with different cultures. I also learned something fascinating, “arigato” the Japanese word for ‘thank you’, actually comes from the Portuguese word that means the same, namely “Obrigado” {:-)
The Travelling Gourmet 