Welcome to Armenian Medical World Congress 2025   Dental Session Proposal

Scientific Session Proposal Form

Dear Scientific Committee Member,

Thank you for your commitment to organizing a scientific session for AMWC 2025. Please fill out the form below with the necessary details regarding your proposed session. Your input is crucial in shaping a diverse and impactful conference program.

1. Contact Information

Full Name:  Jerry Manoukian  MD – physician, CME planner

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+1 650 814 9924

Georges Mosditchian DDS – Dentist, Conference planner

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+33 6 81 74 37 79

Armond Kotikian MD, DDS – Oral/Maxillary Surgeon,Conference planner

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+1 818 388 2737

Institution/Organization:  AMIC

2. Title of the Session

Session Title: Dental Care Development in Armenia

3. Please Choose the Relevant Session Category:

• Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• Primary Care. Regional and Community Healthcare
• Education and Research

4. Justification for New Session Category (if applicable)

Complete only if your session does not fit into the above categories

Justification (max 150 words):  Dental care / oral health was not listed as one of the original sessions.  Armenia has the potential to deliver excellent care, and there is some dental tourism which has been successful.  However there are several limitations:

1. Dental services are not evenly distributed among the population. 
2. Preventive care is not routinely sought, and dental visits are often delayed until there is an abscess. 
3. Dentistry in Armenia may also be experiencing a surplus of inexperienced dental graduates similar to what happens in the medical schools.
4. Diasporan volunteer dental clinics and clinics supported by Diasporan organizations have been disrupted.  Some of these have been displaced from Artsakh
5. It is unclear whether Armenia has a policy regarding fluoride supplementation for prevention of tooth decay.  Fluoridation of salt has been recommended as a very cost-effective process.  This is discussed in our online dental session planning document at https://amicnow.org/267

5. Impact of the Topic

Describe the Impact (on population, healthcare system, professionals, etc. max 150 words):

• Discuss the distribution of dentists and dental services in Armenia, exploring disparities between urban and rural areas
• Review the ongoing Diasporan – supported clinics in Armenia
• Discuss the payment system for dental services
• Revisit fluoridation of salt, water or other vehicles
• Discuss the dental education standards and programs in  Armenia
• Review the current state of dental tourism in Armenia
• Discuss volunteer opportunities for dental education and teaching

6. Goals of the Session

• Provide the learners with a clear view of the available dental services in Armenia with a critical evaluation of the health equity and access issues faced by the population
• Evaluate the education models for dental specialists (how many schools, how many graduates, postgraduate training, quality of care)
• Review (or possibly create) guidelines for salt fluoridation

7. Multidisciplinarity

Fields or Specialties are Involved:

Administrative: 

• Ministry of Health
• Yerevan State Medical Univesity
• Yerevan Haybusak University 
• The University of Traditional Medicine (UTM)
• (postgraduate training?)

Dental specialists

Oral surgeons

Representatives of Diasporan Associations providing dental care in Armenia, e.g. Armenian Dental Association, AAMS, COAF, Paros Foundation, mobile clinics, Hand in Hand

A paper on salt fluoridation has been published at AUA in 2011:

https://aua.am/chsr/UserFiles/File/new/Hayk%20Kanchinyan.pdf

8. Target Audience

Specialties: Dentists, oral surgeons, public health specialists, Health Ministry

Estimated Number of Attendees: 30

9. Proposed Panel

Please provide the following details for each speaker:

10. Sponsors

List of Sponsors:

11. Type of the Session

• Plenary – if the fluoridation point-counterpoint is considered
• Symposium
• Round-tables & Debate session
• Joint sessions – Networking events

12. Additional Comments

Comments:

Updated notes and discussion are kept online at https://amicnow.org/267 and will be forwarded when there is significant development.

13. Background Information

Background:

Jerry is a retired internal medicine physician with background in CME planning and epidemiology.  It is my goal to help my dental colleagues prepare a session that will translate to increased collaboration and possibly policy change.

Georges is a dentist currently in practice near Paris and is active in UMAF-Paris.  He is UMAF’s representative to AMIC and serves on AMIC’s Executive Board.

Armond is a oral and maxillofacial surgeon in Glendale, California.  He specializes in oral and maxillofacial trauma, infections, oral pathology resection and reconstruction, sleep apnea, and craniofacial anomalies.  He serves on the Continuing Medical Education and Continuing Dental Education planning committees for AAMS.

Thank you for completing this form. We appreciate your valuable contribution to AMWC 2025.