IADS: A brief introduction

The International Association of Dental Students was formed in 1951, to unite the dental students of the world and allow them to exchange knowledge and experiences about dentistry at an international level. We represent the future members of the dental profession at a worldwide level. Our Central Office is at FDI World Dental Federation Headquarters in Ferney-Voltaire, France.

How many people are involved?

Nowadays the IADS Family represents thousands of dental students as country and school members around the world. National and local associations of dental students are eligible for membership. When an association joins, all its members become members of IADS. There is no membership for individuals at the present time.

How often does the Association meet?

We meet twice annually. The main meeting is our Annual World Congress of Dental Students, held each August. This meeting typically attracts around 200 participants. It focuses on a scientific programme of lectures and seminars considering the needs of the dental student, but also includes workshop discussions, an organised social programme and the various business meetings of the Association. Recent congresses have been held in Istanbul, Turkey (2003); Berlin, Germany (2004); Prague, Czech Republic (2005); Khartoum, Sudan (2006) and at Lake Balaton, Hungary (2007).A small Mid Year Meeting (MYM), whose programme is devoted to business meetings, is held each February-March.English is used as the common language at all our meetings.

Who runs the Association?

Each member association sends their representatives to the General Assembly, which meets during the Congress and Mid Year Meeting.A six-person Executive Committee, headed by the President, is responsible for day to day management of the Associations affairs.

What activities are organized for members?

As well as the Annual World Congress of Dental Students, we offer many things at an international level to our members. These are accessible to each and every dental student in the member countries, and include an International Student Exchange Programme, which allows students to visit a foreign country and experience its culture and dentistry, both scientifically and clinically. In collaboration with different voluntary organisations, we run Voluntary Work Project, which allows students to experience and help with primary oral healthcare in developing countries.  The IADS E-mail group is used by more than 900 students and dentists, where dental cases and news about dentistry are discussed. Many students communicate via Facebook.com in the IADS- Group; especially new countries found the contact to IADS via that platform. Through the SCORE (Standing Committee on Research and Education - created during the IADS Congress in Egypt in 2002) dental science and education shall become more important in the future of IADS - several programmes have been started, e.g. the collection of a database of all postgraduate courses at dental faculties in the whole world in order to present them on the IADS website.

The IADS Newsletter informs about the news in the dental world.

IADS Membership Summary:

Type                                                                       Full    Corresponding        Affiliate  Personal
Can attend meetings & congresses                              yes    yes                        2 /max yes
Can speak at General Assembly                                    yes    yes                        yes            yes
Can propose motions at General Assembly                     yes    no                         no              no
Can vote at General Assembly                                     yes    no                         no              no
Can hold positions on Executive Committee                   yes    no                         no              no
Pay membership fee                                                  yes    no                         no              yes
Can participate in Exchange Programme                       yes    limited                    no              yes
Can participate in Voluntary Work Abroad Programme    yes    no                          no              yes
Receive additional copies of IADS Newsletter                yes    yes                        no              yes

How long can this type of membership be held?     as long as membership feeis paid-F,P  2 years max-C     as long asreciprocalarr angement with IADS exists - A

Open to national/localassociations- F,C   internationalassociations &organizations- A  indyvidual persons - p

Notes:* Corresponding membership does not have to be held before an application for full membership canbe made.
*This list covers the major parts of membership, but is not exhaustive. Other benefits may beunavailable to Corresponding members.

III. The ideal Dental Students association: An ideal association does not exist. But you can always increase the quality of an existing organization.Most of the associations describes their work in the same three directions: representation, defense andformation of the students, services to the students, students life. They are all democratic organizations.

A. Democracy:A students association has to be run by students. It has to be non-political to be able to represent allthem. It is very important to be fully democratic: elections (usually every year), every member must have the right to vote and to speak in the General Assemblies. The Executive Committee must always listen to the voice of its members, and take the decisions and solve the conflicts in a democratic way.

B. Directions of work:The ideal association should work in the following three direction.

1. Representation, defense and organization of the students:

a) Representation:The association should have enough members in order to be the voice of the students within theschools and the professional organizations. The association should work or have contacts with any organization related with the Dental Students: education level, professional level, students life level.For a local association, there must be contacts and representation with: the dental school (the dean, thecommittees), the University, the professional local association and union, the local dental companies(dealers, insurances), the local students associations (especially medical and pharmacy, plus the town association), the national association of dental students.For a national association, there must be contacts and representation with: the national associations fordental education (Deans, dental schools, different education fields), the national professionalorganizations and unions (Syndicates, dental association, public health association), the governmental Ministries and Offices related to dental education (Health and Education), the national non-political associations of students, the continental association of dental students and the International Association of Dental Students). On a continental and world level, the contacts should be of the same kind.

b) Defense of the students:The word defense does not mean here that they have to fight, but they have to be aware of the problems of the students and have to solve them in the best way for the interest of the students.In any project concerning the students, the representatives must be there with their proposals, theircreativity and their power to balance the ideas of the other institutions. The students have to give theiropinion about what they are doing. They have to prepare their meetings with the official bodies to havestrong proposals.

c) Organization of the students:The responsible people in an association have to transmit their knowledge to the newcomers. For this,they have to organize training meetings and publications assembling the way the association works, aswell as its environment. For example, how a decision is taken into the school, how to get subsidies, howto write an official letter, what has to be done in a peculiar case.This has to be done early enough to preserve the continuity in the work of the association. The turnover is quick, and a team leaving without transmitting its knowledge can cause important problems in theassociation. The recruitment of responsible people has to be constant.

2. Services to the students:

We list here some important activities:a)International exchanges: With the IADS on a world level.b)Scientific conferences and congresses: Once a year.c)Newsletter: If possible, provided for free to all the students.d) Cheaper dental material: By making a link between the students and the dental companies.e)Agreements with banks and insurance companies: To allow the students to have cheaper advantages.

3. Finances of student associations:

The most difficult point.¥ Fee: as it has to be low for the students, it does not bring much money to the association.¥ Benefits out of parties and material sold.¥Subsidies: from the school, the Dental Association, the syndicates. As the students are the future of the dental world, they usually are willing to help the good projects.¥Sponsoring: difficult to get, especially in a period of economical crisis. The companies have tounderstand that a student will remember the material that he knows during his studies for all hisprofessional life.

IV. What does it bring to the people involved?

An association is a little world in itself.Above the work done by the people involved, it is a good place to learn the human relations, to learn thesocial life, the professional and economical world, and to see different things from the activity in the dental school.

Executive Committees, with the help of the representatives from different countries, do their best to make sure our organization stays strong, powerful and keeps encouraging new people to get involved in the work with us. What cannot be forgotten is the fact that apart from being a great deal of work, being part of IADS means also a lot of fun! How good and how fun we are, depends on everyone’s contribution.


IADS Secretary General
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