China Dental Show becomes East Asia's 1st in-person dental meeting after COVID-19

A dental show in Shanghai recently became the first major in-person dental meeting in East Asia since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The China Dental Show took place in Shanghai from September 1-4 and drew 35,000 registered visitors, according to Planmeca, one of 600 exhibitors at the event.

Image courtesy of Planmeca.

The show could occur because China has only seen a moderate number of new COVID-19 cases in the past few months, Planmeca noted. The company intends to participate in other events in the region if they are allowed to take place.

The China Dental Show used a number of health and safety precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. To get into the show, visitors had to scan a QR code from the Alipay or Tencent apps on their phones, which is how the Chinese government has performed contact tracing during the pandemic. The code flashes green if an individual may enter a facility, but if the code turns red, the person is barred from entering.

Other precautions included mandatory face masks, presentation of registered name cards, and showing other identification or passports at security control. Planmeca also had hand sanitizer at its booth for visitors to use before and after touching equipment.