Amid Ismail, BDS, dean of Temple University's Kornberg School of Dentistry, was among the oral health representatives from academia and industry that signed the inaugural charter to form the Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders in a ceremony August 3 at the Temple Performing Arts Center.
The Kornberg School of Dentistry is one of the alliance's inaugural signatories, and Dr. Ismail will serve as the first chairman of the international organization, which will work to promote peace and provide oral healthcare in areas of conflict, crisis, and need.
"A lot of the conflict in the world is due to lack of understanding and appreciation for the other side's point of view," Dr. Ismail stated in a press release. "Dentists talk the same language, have the same tools, and use the same procedures. So we want to create an international organization that uses oral health to cross borders -- whether they are geographic, political, economic, or mental borders -- that will nurture and support programs that meet critical needs while also promoting peace."
Similar to Doctors Without Borders, the new alliance will develop an infrastructure, management system and logistics to provide a rapid response to oral health concerns around the world, the university noted.
"Whenever there is a crisis somewhere in the world, we hold a lot of meetings and talk. But the reality requires action, which is the goal of this alliance," Dr. Ismail said.
