The shortage of advertisers is again the main limiting factor in the publication of this Newsletter. My thanks again to Morita and Soredex for their support. It is unfortunate that the photographs in this edition cannot be in colour, but that would have doubled the cost.

The call for a NEW EDITOR for the Journal, DENTOMAXILLOFACIAL RADIOLOGY, appears once again on page 9 in this issue. Please contact Allan Farman IMMEDIATELY if you are interested in becoming Editor of our Journal.

At the request of Laetitia Brocklebank, who designed the Membership Questionnaire, and the Secretariat, this also appears again in a more friendly version. Please fill it in and send to the Secretary-General [Gerard Sanderink] as soon as possible. Probably the easiest method to complete the questionnaire would be to photocopy those pages from the Newsletter and send the copies to Gerard, after you have filled them in!

Hajime Fuchihata’s invitation to Osaka is the first - and most important - item in this Newsletter. Remember that the last date for registering at the low rate is 10th May 1999.

It is hoped to produce another Newsletter to go out with the May 1999 issue of DMFR. This will contain the agenda for the General Assembly in Osaka and other important formation about the Osaka Congress.

See you in Osaka!

Douglas Lovelock Tel: +44-191-232-5131, bleep 2331 or ext. 24867
Department of Radiology Facsimile: +44-191-222-6137, or -227-5149
Dental Hospital & School E-Mail: D.J.Lovelock@newcastle.ac.uk
Richardson Road
Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4AZ
United Kingdom
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Dear Colleagues,

It is indeed an honour to invite all interested in advancement in Dentomaxillofacial Raiology throughout the scientific community to the beautiful and exciting city of Osaka in Japan for the 12th International Congress of Dento-Maxillo-Facial Radiology from June 26 to July 1, 1999.

The congress will present the latest information and technological developments on radiology in stomatological science, a field which has gained in significance as the international community comes to face the problem of an aging society. It is a good opportunity to share ideas and experiences with fellow professionals from around the world.

Osaka is the center of industry and commerce in western Japan, and at the same time the largest gateway city to Asian countries from Japan. Osaka Castle, one of the central attractions at Osaka, was built in the late 16th century and serves as a reminder of when Osaka was the capital of Japan. Moreover, Osaka is a major transportation hub, providing easy accesses to the nearby ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto, noted for their numerous time-honoured shrines and temples.

I believe that the congress will further promote development not only in Dentomaxillofacial Radiology, but also in stomatological science, which now plays an increasingly important role in daily life of people. We look forward to welcoming you to the 12th Osaka Congress in June 1999.

Hajime Fuchihata
President, IADMFR Dept. of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
Organizing Chairman Osaka University, Faculty of Dentistry
12th ICDMFR 1-8, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
Tel: 81-66-879-2966, 81-66-879-2967
Fax: 81-6-875-5834, 81-6-879-2970
E-mail:fuchihat@radiol.dent.osaka-u.ac.jp
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The 175th meeting of Kanto (East Japan) district of Japanese Society for Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (JSOMR) was held at Nihon University School of Dentistry at Matsudo on March 22, 1997 chaired by Professor Hiromi Suzuki. Eight papers were presented.

The joint conference with the 176th Kanto district and the 16th Kitanihon (North Japan) of JSOMR was held at Tokyo Dental University on July 12, 1997 chaired by Professor Kinya Kuroyanagi. Eleven papers were presented with a special lecture entitled "significance of various examinations for the diagnosis of TMJ disorders" by Dr. Masashi Sugigaki of Jikei Medical University.

The 177th meeting of Kanto district of JSOMR was held at Tokyo on December,1997 chaired by Professor Yasuhiko Okumura. Eight papers and images of 3 clinical cases were presented. Dr. Yoshinori Akira et al of Nihon University School of Dentistry developed a new micro CT system. Their presentation attracted audience's attention for its great possibility for the uses in dentistry.

'97 Annual Meeting of Diagnostic Imaging for Oral and Maxillofacial lesions was held at Niigata city on May 8~9, 1997 chaired by Professor Jusuke Ito. This meeting has been established to promote the progress of research and diagnostic imaging and related field of Oral and Maxillofacial region and mutual exchange among the members under the Diagnostic Imaging Section of JSOMR. Twenty oral presentations were given and the session for interpretation of images on various lesions was provided. A special lecture entitled "New current of CT - from helical CT to real time CT- was given by Professor Kazuhiro Katada of Fujita Health and Welfare University. Another special lecturer, Professor Isamu Kashima spoke about "New morphologic diagnosis of bone by Computed Radiography".

The 38th Congress of JSOMR was held from October 16 through 18, 1997 at Tokyo chaired by Professor Hiromi Suzuki of Nihon University School of Dentistry at Matudo. One hundred and six papers were presented with the following lectures. Special lecture entitled "To enhance the effect of radiotherapy" by Professor Muneyasu Urano and 2 keynote lectures "Applications of MR to the head neck region" by Professor Takashi Nakamura and "Interventional radiology for the internal derangements of the temporomandibular joint with comparison of radiographic and MR images" by Dr. Kaoru Kobayashi. During the period of the meeting, some satellite meetings such as the 6th meeting of practical applications of computer and the 10th meeting on radiation therapy were held.

The joint conference with the 40th Kansai (West Japan) and the 29th Kyushu districts of JSOMR were held on November 22, 1997 at Osaka chaired by Professor Yonoshin Koseki of Osaka Dental University. Sixteen papers were presented and a special lecture entitled "Diagnostic imaging of lung diseases - mainly on CT" was presented by Dr.Jun Arisawa. Osaka Dental University affiliated hospital had been renewed and reconstructed with intelligent and modern facilities like CT, MRI etc. The participants of the dinner party after the conference enjoyed the marvelous view of Osaka Castle lit up brightly and Yodo river near the hospital.

The Japanese Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (JBOMR) was established in 1996. The certificate of Diplomate of JBOMR was granted to 189 doctors and Supervisor of JBOMR was granted to 45 doctors as of June 6, 1997. With progress of diagnostic imaging and recent concerns of radiation hygiene in dentistry, the role of these specialists of Oral Radiology will be more important than ever.

Preparation for the 12th ICDMFR Osaka Congress (June 27~ July 1, 1999) is making well progress. The plan of the Congress schedule have been almost fixed and the second circular was distributed at the 6th European Congress on Dental and Maxillofacial Radiology in Oslo and the 2nd Asian Congresss of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology in Seoul. The gist of the plan at the present time is as follows.

1. The board meeting will be held for 2 days(June 24~25, 1999) before the precongress course (June 26).
2. The day for relaxation will be set during the session. No scientific programs and official events will be set in the afternoon and the night of the day to spare for free shopping and excursion etc. (June 29).
3. General assembly will be held on July 30, the day before the closing day of the Congress.
4. Some lecture courses for general practitioners and for the doctors of the other fields of dentistry are planned during the session.
5. The time for the brief oral presentation and discussion will be included in the poster session.
6. Posters should be set up on June 26, the day before the opening day of the Congress
7. Japan Air Line (JAL) was provided as the official carrier of the Osaka Congress.

We are doing every effort to welcome you in Osaka.

Kanji Kishi
e-mail: k_kishi@dent.okayama-u.ac.jp
Dept. of Oral Radiology
Okayama University Dental School
2-5-1, Shikata-cho, Okayama
Japan
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A round table discussion, attended by over 40 IADMFR members, was held on Thursday, 26 June 1997 at the 10th IADMFR Congress, in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Madeleine Rohlin chaired the meeting, and introduced the other members of the Education Group:

Laetitia Brocklebank (UK)
Kanji Kishi (Japan)
Tae Won Park (Korea)
Keiji Tanimoto (Japan)
Xandra Velders (The Netherlands)
Stuart C White (USA)
Madeleine Rohlin opened the session by introducing how they present the Objectives of the Dental Radiology course to their students in Sweden, and then invited the other members of the Committee to give a brief overview of the undergraduate course in dental radiology at their University. Members presented details of their courses, including time allocations, and the timing of components within the general curriculum. It was clear that all the courses covered, in common with each other, intra-oral radiography, panoramic radiography, and a certain amount of radiological interpretation. A common theme was the importance of a strong foundation in basic principles, upon which the student and qualified dentist could build further, in depth, knowledge.

The open discussion which then took place concentrated on the teaching of practical techniques, digital radiology, advanced imaging, and examination (assessment) of students:

• Practical radiography was initially taught on mannequins in a number of centres, but a few members reported that students undertook radiographic examinations of each other; this point raised considerable discussion with the proposal that such a practice nowadays could give the wrong idea to students about the importance and place of selection criteria. The practise of "routine" examinations is inherited from the past, and the need for a change of philosophy within our own profession was needed in order to have any chance of successfully changing the practices of other specialists.
• The inclusion of digital radiology was variable, and this resulted in considerable discussion from others present, the topic expanding to also cover specialised imaging systems such as CT and MRI.
• Sectional imaging was considered by most to be a subject warranting only an introduction at undergraduate level, with in depth study more appropriate in postgraduate specialist training.
• Assessment of students was the area where there was the greatest discrepancy. Methods included practical assessment on mannequins, other students or patients; MCQs; "spot" examinations; written (short answer and/or essay questions) examinations; oral examination; report writing. The Chairman presented an example of an assessment currently being used in Malmo, where students are required to research a number of referenced articles, and subsequently answer questions based upon their investigations.

The lively discussion was a very good illustration of the value of communication amongst professionals involved in the same discipline, and it was agreed that there was a clear need for the Committee to look at assessment as their next priority. It is hoped that similar open discussions will take place at future meetings, whether international, regional or local.

The Pre-congress course "Advances in Maxillofacial Imaging" held at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky was a scientific and financial success. The program was well attended by over 100 congress participants. The morning session explored the principles and applications of digital, computed tomographic, and magnetic resonance imaging, as well as image processing applications for these techniques. The speakers included Dr Brent Dove (USA), Professor Ann Wenzel (Denmark), Professor Kanji Kishi (Japan) and Dr Mostafa Analoui (USA). The feedback from the majority of those attending was very complimentary. The speakers presented excellent lecture material in their subject areas, mixing reserach and clinical application with their message on the imaging modality principles of these advanced modalities. The sessions was co-chaired by Dr John Ludlow fo the University of North Carolina.

The afternoon session represented a departure from the "typical" pre-congress program which traditionally was an interpretation session. This year a list of previous and current corporate embers was compiled and an invitation was sent to these companies to submit and abstrtact about their product or technology and its application to oral and maxillofacial imaging. Six (6) companies responded and sent papers and speakers to address the meeting participants. Presentations were made by Mr Britt Fox (Columbia Scientific, USA), Dr Roberto Molteni

(Gendex, Italy), Mr Arun Singh (Maging Sciences International, USA), Dr Mark Smith (Panoramic Corporation, USA), Mr Auvo Asikainnen (Planmeca Oy, Finland), and Mr Matti Linnosaari (Orion Corporation Soredex, Finland). Information was presented to the members on dental fluoroscopy, digital intraoral and panoramic imaging, storage phosphor imaging, and implant and presurgical imaging. The session was co-chaired by Professor Tomohiro Okano of Showa University, Japan.

I am grateful for the support shown by the members, both academic and corporate at this session. The interaction was excellent as were the presentations. Future pre-congress programs can include both imaging principles or techniques and radiographic interpretation successfully, as evidenced by the success of this past season. And, thanks again to my co-chairs, Dr John Ludlow and Professor Tomohiro Okano for their excellent assistance.

Dale A. Miles e-mail: dmiles@insd.iupui.edu
Indiana University School of Dentistry
1121 West Michigan Street
Indianapolis
IN 46202
USA.
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(1) Financial Report

INCOME

USD

Registrations......................................................................................203,184.50

Commercial Sponsorship................................................................... 72,933.00

Commercial Exhibition*...................................................................... 30,470.00

Advertisements.................................................................................... 4,492.00

IADMFR Loan...................................................................................... 7,000.00

New member's Dues............................................................................ 4,020.00

Bank Interest Earned............................................................................ 5,669.29

Total Income........................................................... $327,768.79

(*Includes registration payments for exhibitors)

n.b. Some additional income from royalties for the Proceedings sold subsequent to the Congress has been paid directly to the IADMFR Secretariat from Elsevier.

EXPENDITURES

Scientific Program.............................................................................. 31,772.60

Proceedings........................................................................................ 27,976.00

Other Printing...................................................................................... 7,001.31

Promotions .......................................................................................... 8,433.82

Administrative..................................................................................... 14,306.04

Social Program................................................................................... 98,425.55

Commercial Exhibition....................................................................... 16,856.94

Security and Insurance......................................................................... 4,340.93

Bank charges/transfer Fees.................................................................. 1,078.39

Refunds................................................................................................. 2,939.50

Expenditures on behalf of IADMFR Board............................................ 4,866.01

Repayment of IADMFR Loan................................................................ 7,000.00

Transfer of new members dues to Secretariat**................................... 4,020.00

Surplus remitted to IADMFR Trust Fund............................................ 98,751.70

Total Expenditure.......................................................$327,768.79

(**$1,810.00 to San Antonio before Congress; remainder to Amsterdam during

Congress)

The books for the Congress were managed by the meeting's Secretary General, Dr. Taeko T. Farman. The audit of the books was organized by Dr. John Brand (Oklahoma University), Treasurer for the meeting. As a not-for-profit educational organization the Congress held tax-exempt status both at the Federal and State levels. The Federal tax filing was handled by Dr. Brent Dove (University of Texas San Antonio) as Treasurer for the Association. The tax office in Kentucky thanked the Association for following its requirements very carefully and (without request) provided a new identification number should the Association wish to hold a meeting in the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the future. It should also be noted that whilst the meeting was held in association with the 3rd Congress on Computed Maxillofacial Imaging, all surplus funds were directed to the IADMFR.

The "windfall" funds for the IADMFR can be attributed to the following:

• The generosity of sponors, for which two-thirds of the monies supplied were on the basis of strict anonymity.
• The hard work of the local arrangements committee in keeping costs down through competitive bids and tough bargaining.
• The decision not to use a professional organization to arrange the Congress. Most of the surplus would have gone in percentage payments to such an organization (averaging 15-20% of revenues); moreover, negotiating control for events pricing would have also been complicated.
• The uncertainty on numbers attending in view of the very many "on site" registrations. The organizers (not the IADMFR) were responsible for any losses; hence, the break-even level was set at 250 attendees. As many costs were independent of the attendance, the contribution margin for attendees beyond the base 250 was significantly greater than for the first 250 registrants.
• There was a favourable exchange rate between the US dollar and the Dutch Guilder when the fund transfer to Elsevier for the Proceedings was made.
• Most events were within walking distance of the Congress Hotel so transportation costs were minimized.
• Meeting room space and basic furnishings were at no cost to the organization, excepting audiovisual and decorating charges.

(2) Lectures and Symposia

The Chairman for Continuing Education was Dr Dale Miles (Indiana University). The continuing education components included both the traditional "Pre-Congress Course" and a number of keynote addresses and symposia spread throughout the meeting. The Pre-Congress Course was titled "Advances in Maxillofacial Imaging" with the morning session including lectures from researchers in Acaemic Institutions (Brent Dove, Ann Wenzel, Kanji Kishi and Mostafa Analoui) and the afternoon session featuring research and development personnel from Industry (Britt Fox, Roberto Molteni, Arun Singh, Mark Smith, R. Pienkowski and T. Luostrinen). Keynote addresses were presented by Gregorio Faviovich, Heinz Lemke, Isamu Kashima, Christoffel Nortjé and John Preece. Symposia and Round Table discussions were led by Madeleine Rohlin (Assessment in Dentomaxillofacial Radiology Education"), Paul van der Stelt ("Innovative Technologies: Present and Future Directions") and Tomohiro Okano ("Global Aspects of Maxillofacial Reserach").

(3) Science

Drs Axel Ruprecht and Julian Gibbs co-chaired the Scientific Committee. To simplify communications all registrations and abstracts were received in Louisville and then sent out to the Scientific Co-Chairs in mid to late December 1996. Slightly more than 330 items were submitted and needed to be reviewed and the timetable was extremely tight in order to fit with the requirements of the publisher of the selected Proceedings, Elsevier (Amsterdam). The turn around time for selection of papers to be included in the Proceedings was only 5 weeks as the internationally diverse authors had to be informed about layout and time lines to permit them 4 weeks to complete their task. Nevertheless, the organizing committee believed that the desirablility of producing the Proceedings in time for the Congress outweighed the other considerations. Management of the Proceedings was taken care of in Louisville in conjunction with the Publisher in Amsterdam.

There were a total of 222 presentations, including 92 posters and 130 lectures. There were up to three parallel sessions roughly divided into technology assessment, diagnostic imaging strategies and radiation biology/protection/safety. In view of the uncertainty of attendance through delayed and on site registrations, it did not prove possible to produce a full abstract book and presentations were listed by title, author and institution only in the official program. This program was printed at the last possible minute to ensure the greatest possible accuracy. The absence of a book of abstracts was a disappointment to some in attendance, but accuracy in scheduling was considered a more important factor. The organizers were a little disappointed to receive requests for the Abstract Book from individuals who submitted abstracts but who did not register or attend - and even more disappointed at receiviing complaints from such individuals when they were not listed in the Program. The "game" of having abstracts included and time set aside for presentations that are not made is a discourtesy to the participants.

(4) Exhibit

A number of individuals were instrumental in recruiting exhibitors. Dr William C. Scarfe Chaired the Exhibit and took care of related activities during the Congress. The following companies participated: Heraeus Kulzer/Agfa Dentus; Belmont Equipment Corporation/DCI; Columbia Scientific Incorporated; Data Interchange Technologies Incorporated; OrthoVision; Eastman Kodak Company; Fuji Medical Systems USA Incorporated; Dentsply/Gendex Corporation; Imaging Sciences International Incorporated; Instrumentarium Imaging Incorporated; J Morita USA Incorporated; Keystone Dental X-Ray; Mosby/Williams and Wilkins; Panoramic Corporation; Planmeca Oy; Schick Technologies Incorporated; Orion Corporation/Soredex; Spector Incorporated; Stockton Press; and Trophy Radiology Incorporated. Non-commercial exhibits were: IADMFR; the 2nd Asian Congress of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, the 6th European Congress on Dental and Maxillofacial Radiology; Osaka 1999 (12th IADMFR Congress); Glasgow 2001 (13th IADMFR Congress); the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology; the American Association of Dental Maxillofacial Radiographic Technicians; and the University of Louisville School of Dentistry.

(5) Social Program

Nancy L. Hunter was the contact person for the Social Program. Most of the social events were included with the Registration fee, but tours were optional. The reasons for inclusion of the social events in the registration fee were (1) to provide the best value for all attendees including a high proportion of meals, and (2) to assure that events would not be cancelled to the disappointment of many. By far the highest financial risks for the local arrangements committee were associated with the social activities and it was generally necessary to guarantee minimum numbers six months in advance of the actual meeting.

(6) Attendance

Countries represented in Louisville were: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Lebanon, Mexico, Norway, Peru, Poland, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, The Netherlands, The USA and Yugoslavia. Including exhibitors and accompanying guests but excluding staff, local dentists and students helping in "on site" coordination, the total attendance was 500. Attendance at the scientific and social events was strictly by registration, full fees for which were paid by everyone including all dentist members of the local arrangements committee. There were some attempts to enter the meeting without payment of the registration fee, and these were taken care of in as discrete a manner as possible. The number of countries represented would have been greater if registrations had been paid by all such individuals.The problem of "shared badges" was kept as low as possible.

It should be noted that prior to the meeting there were many dozens of requests for registration fee waivers. The organizing committee decided that it would not be fair to the fee paying attendees to provide such assistance.

Allan G. Farman Tel: +1(502)852.1241
Immediate Past President, IADMFR Fax: +1(502)852.7595
School of Dentistry e-mail: agfarm01@gwise.louisville.edu
University of Louisville
501 South Preston Street
Louisville
Kentucky 40292
USA
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Pictured in Louisville, three great ladies of DMF Radiology; Madeleine Rohlin [Malmo, Sweden], Birgit Glass [San Antonio, Texas, USA], Ann Wenzel [Aarhus, Denmark].

Photograph by Neill Serman, who would like to know how many publications they have between them? [Answers to Neill please, not the Editor!].

  Future Congresses in their hands.

OSAKA - Kanji Kishi, Shusaburo Eumura and Hajime Fuchihata

GLASGOW - Douglas Lovelock and Laetitia Brocklebank.

The Norwegians, under the very able chairmanship of Tore Larheim, hosted about 150 people at an excellent congress in early June 1998, immediately following the 15th Nordic Symposium on Dental and Maxillofacial Radiology. The meeting commenced with a video showing participants some of the highlights of Norway, and I was surprised, and pleased, to see how similar much of the scenery was to the highlands of Scotland. The scientific programme followed the conventional pattern of simultaneous sessions (two), and the chairmen were all excellent at strictly following the time schedule so that it was possible to move between the two rooms. The poster sessions were held separately, and each presenter was given the opportunity to supplement the information in their poster in a give minute presentation, followed by time for questions. This approach worked very well, once the simultaneous presentations were located in different rooms!, and there was no competition from oral sessions which have in the past tended to detract from the importance of the poster format. The scientific content of both oral and poster presentations was high, and made attendance very worthwile.

The Committee had arranged and extensive trade exhibition, with both Scandinavian and international companies occupying booths. Two departures from the normal approach are worth mentioning: selected companies were given the opportunity to make presentations in a plenary session, which did not clash with any other event, and quite extensive coffee breaks were planned at frequent intervals, which provided plenty of opportunity to visit all the booths.

No conference is remembered solely for the scientifc content; the opportunities for social intercourse are in many ways just as important, for fostering the networking which underpins much of our professional relationships. A civic reception was held on the first evening at Oslo Great Hall, where we were given the opportunity to take a guided tour of the building and learn something of the mangificent murals which illustrate much about Norwegian history, culture and working life. On the second evening we were bussed out to Holmenkollen, the world famous ski jump used for the 1952 and 1994 Winter Olympics; the energetic took the opportunity to climb to the top, whilst others had a tour of the museum which gave a fascinating insight into the development of skis, and sleds. After this early evening ‘exercise’ we travelled on to Sporten, the top of Oslo, for a banquet in a beautiful wooden mansion, and of course lots of conversation, supplemented by a few speeches from our Scandinavian hosts. The conference closed on the Saturday afternoon and culminated in a farewell party at the International Museum of Children’s Art, situated in a suburb of the city, from where small groups drifted off to enjoy a final dinner together.

Thank you, and congratulations to our hosts.

Laetitia Brocklebank e-mail: l.m.brocklebank@dental.gla.ac.uk
Dept. of Dental Radiology
Glasgow Dental Hospital & School
378 Sauchiehall Street
Glasgow G2 3JZ
Scotland
UK
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To all Regional Directors and Officers

of IADMFR

There will be board meetings in

Osaka all day

Thursday and Friday

24th and 25th JUNE 1999

Please make every effort to be there

The Brazilian Association of Oral Radiology, under the Presidency of Dr Edemir Costa held its Congress from 29th April to 2nd May 1998 in Bel Horizonte. The Congress President was Dr Fernando Antonio Fonseca.

This event celebrated the 30 anniversary of the foundation of the Brazilian Association of Oral Radiology. Guest speakers presented courses for the delegates, they were: Dr Joh Brand (USA) - Diagnostic Imaging in Dentistry; Dr Hans Goran Grondahl (Sweden) - Advances in Digital Imaging; Dr Kertstin Grondahl (Sweden) - Imaging of Osseointegrated Implants.

Edemir Costa e-mail : edemir@ccs.ufsc.br
R:Nagiv Jabor, 134-Capoerias
CEP:88-90-100 - Florianópolis
Santa Catarina
Brasil
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In November 1997 the Association of Roentgenology within the German Society for Dento-Maxillofacial Medicine held its Annual General Meeting in Munich at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University. Again presentations and posters on a widespread variety of topics were presented. The lectures were well received and provoked a good deal of discussion.

For the first time our meeting was held under the Presidency of Prof. Ch. Benz (Munich) and Vice-Presidency of Prof. U. Rother (Hamburg). In 1996 at our General Assembly in Würzburg Prof. Sitzmann did not stand for election again. Knowing his meritorious work throughout the years, we all regret but had to accept his decision. We are thankful for his contribution of time and effort on our concerted activities in favour of Dental and Maxillofacial Radiology.

Irmela Reuter e-mail: ireuter@Uni-munster.de
Waldeyestr 30,
48149 Munster,
Germany.
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By the time this letter is in print we will have completed our workings leading to the establishment of the Hellenic Association of Dento-Maxillo-Facial Radiology (HADMFR). We hope that this association will be in close relation to the International Association of Dento-Maxillo-Facial Radiology (IADMFR). HADMFR accepts as members specialists in Oral Diagnosis and Radiology, Radiologists, General Practitioners and any specialist in Dentistry who is interested in broadening his knowledge in the field of Oral & Maxillo-Facial Radiology.

The above Association will be responsible for organizing the 7th European Congress on Dental and Maxillo-Facial Radiology, which has been arranged to take place in Athens, from Thursday, June 15, to Sunday, June 18, 2000. A pre-congress course will also take place on Thursday, June 15. The Organizing Committee has decided to hold the Congress in Divani Caravel Hotoel, which is situated in the centre of Athens with a panoramic view to the Acropolis and Lycabetus Hill. It is beyond any doubt that the splendid weather conditions that prevail in Greece at this time of the year will secure an unforgettable stay in our country.

Every endeavour will be made in order to provide you with the best scientific program. At the same time you will have the chance to take part in very interesting social events. The Organizing Committee, is already working on plans for the congress’s programme, considering every detail so as to achieve a large attendance. High quality of service and inspiring social activities will make your visit to Athens memorable.

Dr Kostas Tsiklakis tel: +30 - 1 7795875
President of the Organizing Committee, fax: +30 - 1 6779272
Ass. Professor in Oral Diagnosis e-mail: Katsoni@atlas.uoa.gr
Dental School
University of Athens
2 Thivon Street
Goudi, 115 27
Athens
Greece
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Although Hong Kong is now a Special Adminstrative Region in the People Republic of China, the life style of Hong Kong people remains the same. The financial crisis in Asia does affect the local economy. With high interest rates, there is a significant drop in stock and property market. It is generally believed that it is going to take some time before the economy can fully recover.

In September, 1997, the Dental Faculty of The University of Hong Kong had started the first post-graduate programme on Dental Radiology. 2 graduate students were enrolled in the Postgraduate Diploma in Dental Surgery (Dental Radiology) course. It is a one year full time or two year part time programme designed for general practitioners who would like further training in Dental Radiology. Initial response from the students has been encouraging. I am looking forwards to another batch of students in the next academic year.

Thomas Li e-mail: thomasli@hku.hk
Oral Radiology Unit
University of Hong Kong
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Dentistry in Indonesia has witnessed great changes over this last two decades. Until now, Dento Maxillofacial Radiology is mainly limited to teaching responsibility, due to lack of facilities.

Although total number of staff in all Dental Radiology Departments in Indonesia is only about 22 persons, we have tried to establish Dental Radiology Society in Indonesia in October 1997, and still working hard on that. In that occasion, chairman, secretary and treasurer had been elected. Scientific activities of Dental Radiology in Indonesia are very limited because of very restricted budget/funding, especially during this hard time in our country. In the near future we hope that some of our Society members could afford to attend International events, to be able to develop this field in Indonesia and in Asia in general. For now I try to get new members to join IADMFR. It is hoped that all the efforts will lead to a better improvement in the speciality of Dental Radiology in Indonesia and the rest of Asia.

HANNA H.B. ISKANDAR fax : +62-21-331412 or 62-21-3916858
Dental Radiology Department e-mail: hanna@makara.cso.ui.ac.id
Faculty of Dentistry-Univ.Indonesia
Jl. Salemba Raya No. 4
Jakarta 10430 - INDONESIA
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In the end of May, 1997 Professor Hajime Fuchihata was created to Honorary Doctor at Lund University, Sweden. The motivation from the Faculty of Odontology was that Professor Fuchihata has made extensive research in diagnosis and radiation therapy of maxillofacial tumours. Especially, the biological effects of radiation on normal and tumour cells have been investigafted. He has developed the department in Osaka to be one of the internationally leading departments of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology. The Department of Oral Radiology in Malmö has for more than 20 years had a prosperous co-operation with the department in Osaka with an exchange of guest researchers. Professor Fuchihata has also stimulated researchers from other institutions in Japan to choose to co-operate with the Faculty of Odontology at Lund University. The ceremony was held in the old cathedral in Lund and it was a great honour for the Department of Oral Radiology, Faculty of Odontology, Malmö to act as a host for Professor Fuchihata. At the same time Drs Boel Jullendorff and Lennart Flygare got their insigna for the degree of "Odontolgie Doktor"

Taken after the Degree Ceremony of Lund University, where Professor Hajime Fuchihata received an Honorary Doctorate. At the same ceremony, Dr Boel Kullendorff and Dr Lennart Flygare were presented with their insignia for the Degree of Odontologie Doktor.

The 6^th European Congress on Dental and Maxillofacial Radiology was held in Oslo, Norway June 4-6. The congress was a joint meeting with the 15^th Nordic Symposium. The Nordic Symposium had as themes "Student assessment" and "Learning with technology". Invited experts had excellent presentations and after the lectures work-shops and discussions were held. The 6^th European Congress also included lectures from international experts over different subjects and the congress was ended by a minisymposium over the title "Diagnostic imaging of the teeth and periodontium - are digital methods alternatives to conventional films"? In the scientific programme around 130 reports were given. Professor Tore Larheim and his colleagues at the Department of Oral Radiology at the University of Oslo had made excellent arrangements both for the scientific programme and for the social programme. I want to congratulate the organizers for a most successful congress in the beautiful city of Oslo.

Arne Petersson Tel No: 46 40 32 20 00
Faculty of Odontology Fax No: 46 40 92 53 59
Dept. of Oral Radiology e-mail: arne.petersson@od.mah.se
Centre for Oral Health Sciences
Lund University
Carl Gustafs väg 34
S-214 21 Malmoä
Sweden
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U.S.A.

The Congress of the International Association of Dento-Maxillo-Facial Radiology in Louisville, Kentucky from 20 through June 27, 1997 was the most successful yet, with over 500 people attending from all over the world. It was preceded by the Pre-congress Scientific Course entitled Advances in Maxillofacial Imaging attended by over 130 people presenting over 130 oral presentations and almost 100 poster presentations; all of a consistently high quality. During the Congress there was also a Continuing Education Course which included lectures on Presurgical Implant Imaging; Radiological Assessment of the TMJ. In addition there were lectures by Robert Langlais on Radiological Assessment of the maxillary Sinuses and by Chris Nortje of South Africa on Odontogenic Tumours.

The Congress was very well organized by the President Allan Farman, most ably assisted by William Scarfe, Senior Vice President. The social program was most social with many receptions and a visit to Churchill Downs for the Faivovich-Fujiki Plate honoring two stalwarts in the International Association. These two gentlemen presented the plate to the winning jockey. A great time was had by all and many an acquaintance was renewed at the Congress and many life long friendships and contacts generated. We look forward to meeting the many frieds that we all made in Osaka in June 1999.

Canada

The Canadian Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (CAOMR) held its 25th Annual General Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia on Friday August 22 and Saturday, August 23, 1997. The meeting started with a case exchange on Friday evening. The scientific sessions and annual business meeting were held on Saturday.

The Canadian Dental Association (CDA) is sponoring a workshop on development of Clinical Practice Guidelines. CAOMR will be sending a representative to this workshop to ensure that proper standards of radiographic technique and radiologic interpretation are included in the Guidelines.

CAOMR rejected a proposal from CDA regarding a proposed combination of Oral Radiology with Oral Medicine and Oral Pathology into a new "umbrella" dental diagnostic specialty. CDA’s Council on Education has, however, recently recommneded that a new specialty of Oral Medicine and Pathology be recognized. Oral Radiology will remain a separate specialty in Canada.

At their annual meeting, CAOMR discussed concerns regarding digital imaging in dentistry, specifically acceptability of the technology for record keeping, the lack of compatibility of various systems available, and the potential for altering the original image. No specific policy was formulated, but it was agreed that use of digital imaging must be consistent with accepted standards of practice, and should be reflected in the Clinical Practice Guidelines to be developed.

Neill Serman e-mail: njs2@columbia.edu
Profesor & Head
Division of Oral Radiology
School of Dentistry
Columbia Univeristy
New York 10032
USA
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26 June - 1 July 1999, Osaka, Japan

Contact: Congress Secretariat, c/o Simul International Inc, Kansai Office, Kogin Building, Annex 8F, 4-2-7 Koraibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541, Japan

Tel: +81 6 231 2441

Fax: +81 6 231 2447

E-mail: KYM04075@niftyserve.or.jp

1-5 December 1999, Chicago, IL, USA

Contact: Dr M Kevin O Carroll, Executive Secretary, The American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, PO Box 55722, Jackson, MS 39296, USA

Tel: + 1 601 984 6060

Fax: + 1 601 984 6086

E-mail: ocarroll@fiona.umsmed.edu

15-18 June 2000, Athens

Contact: Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology, School of Dentistry, Athens University, 2 Thivon St. Goudi, 115-27, Athens, Greece

Date TBA, Hotel TBA

Contact: Dr M Kevin O Carroll, Executive Secretary, The American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, PO Box 55722, Jackson, MS 39296, USA

Tel: + 1 601 984 6060

Fax: + 1 601 984 6086

E-mail: ocarroll@fiona.umsmed.edu

6-10 August 2001, Glasgow, Scotland

Contact: Congress Secretariat, Concorde Services Ltd/ICDMFR, 4B, 59 Speirs Wharf, Port Douglas, Glasgow G4 9TB, Scotland, UK

Tel: + 44 141 331 0123

Fax: +44 141 331 0234

E-mail: event@conscot.demon.co.uk

or contact Laetitia Brocklebank: glasgow2001@dental.gla.ac.uk

Attention:

As of January 1st 1999 all telephone numbers in Osaka will require the addition of an extra "6" before the prefix.

e.g (12th ICDMFR Numbers)

Phone: + 81-6-311-3533 (old number) +81-6-6311-3533 (new number)

Fax: + 81-6-311-3332 (old number) +81-6-6311-3332 (new number)

Laetitia Brocklebank
Department of Dental Radiology
Glasgow Dental Hospital & School
378 Sauchiehall Street
Glasgow G2 3JZ
Scotland, UK.

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Please take the time to fill in the following questionnaire, and return it by mail to the Secretary-General, Dr Gerard Sanderink at ACTA, Louwesweg 1, 1066 EA Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Enter your membership number at the foot of each page. When a choice is offered please follow the notes for each question.

Name, last: .....………………………………………………………

first: ....……………………………………………………….

IADMFR Membership number, if known: ……………………......

1. Job Nature - please indicate the description which reflects your main employment:

Clinician Teacher Researcher

2. Job activities - please indicate in order 1,2,3 the three major areas of work included in your job

(1= most time), and tick the sub-categories where they apply

Specialist Radiology Practice

Hospital Specialist, if yes, are you in:

Teacher

Research, if yes, are you doing:

Clinical research Pure Science research

General Dental Practice

Community Dentistry

Publications (writing, refereeing)

Attending courses

Primary Care Oral Surgery

Periodontology Restorative Dentistry

Prosthodontics Crown and Bridge

Endodontics Paediatric Dentistry

Orthodontics Implants

Gerodontology CAL educational programs

Patient education

Which IADMFR Congresses have you attended, and what was your involvement at them? Please mark all relevant boxes:

1991 Budapest

1994 Seoul

1997 Louisville

Please list other dentomaxillofacial radiology conferences you have attended in the last three years, giving year and location:

Year: ........... Location/Conference: .........................................................................................

Year: ........... Location/Conference: .........................................................................................

Year: ........... Location/Conference: .........................................................................................

Year: ........... Location/Conference: .........................................................................................

Please number in order of preference (1,2,3), using 1 as your best choice:

Registration, accommodation, daytime meals and social events for yourself,

Registration, accommodation, daytime meals and social events included

Registration, daytime meals and social events included

Registration and daytime meals included

Registration only: all other expenses separate

Please number in order of preference (1,2,3), using 1 as your best choice:

type of accommodation offered (please specify what type you prefer)

..………………………………..

pure science research content keynote speakers

innovative ideas clinical presentations

workshops trade exhibition

social programme translation into your own language

location

Is your decision to attend a conference influenced by how far you will have to travel?

Yes

No

Which of the following options has the strongest influence on your decision to attend a conference?:

same country

same continent

getting financial support

Which of the following areas should be included in order to attract attendees?

Please indicate the three most important factors (1,2,3; 1 = most important)

case presentations radiographic techniques

diagnosis digital radiology

radiation biology education

……………………………. ……………………………

Please indicate the three most important topics which could be included in a DMFR program, in order to attract professionals from other specialities.

………………………………

……………………………...

………………………………

Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire and return it to:

Dr Gerard C H Sanderink
ACTA
Department of Oral Radiology
Louwesweg 1
1066 EA Amsterdam
The Netherlands.
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The editor would like to thank Jes Stephenson (I.T. Facilitator at Newcastle Dental Hospital & School) for the art work and design of the front cover of these Newsletters.