Written by: Dr Manish Bajracharya
Executive Committee Member, Asian Pacific Orthodontic Society
The 11th Annual International Orthodontic Conference of Orthodontic and Dentofacial orthopedic association of Nepal (ODOAN) was held virtually on 6th and 7th November 2020. The theme of the congress was “Invisible Orthodontics: The Glory of lingual orthodontics and aligners”. We had planned to host the conference in Chitwan, Nepal but due to the Covid19 pandemic and travel restrictions, it was decided that the conference will be presented virtually this year.
The Chief Guest of Honour of the Congress was the President of World Federal of Orthodontics (WFO), Prof Dr Nikhilesh Vaid. The Secretary General of Asian Pacific Orthodontic Society (APOS), Dr Roberto Tan and the Organizing chair, Retd. Brig. Gen Dr Sambhu Man Singh were present during the inauguration. The conference was attended by 150 attendees along with the executive committee members of other orthodontic societies such as India, Bangladesh, Sri-Lanka, Thailand, Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and New Zealand.
The event started with a keynote speech presented by Prof Dr Nikhilesh Vaid. The Mrs. Leela Kharbanda Oration was delivered by Prof Wen Li Lai of China this year. Other presentations included lectures from 9 international speakers and 4 local speakers. A post-graduate section was included, and we listened to 12 papers and 2 posters presentations by our post-graduate students.
To close off the event, the president of ODOAN, Prof. Dr Rabindra Man Shrestha emphasized on the current and the future path of ODOAN in the coming years. He also expressed gratitude to the organizing committee for their hard work to make the event a success.
The next APOS face-to-face meeting is planned for May 2021 alongside the 12th Annual International Orthodontic Conference of ODOAN. As General secretary of ODOAN, I pray that the pandemic situation improves in all parts of the world and hope that we will be able to organise a physical congress. We look forward to meeting all our friends of APOS and will continue to keep you informed of the progress of the preparation for both meetings.