APO’s 8th Biennial National Orthodontic Congress

The APO’s 8th Biennial National Orthodontic Congress kicked off last August 6, 2012 at the well-appointed summit halls of the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila. Despite heavy rains brought about by the southwest monsoon, familiar APO faces, friends from the dental community and loyal trade exhibitors were present as early as 7:00am to support the event.

Congress Chair and APO President-Elect Dr. Maria Laarni Serraon formally launched the two-day affair while PDA President-Elect Dr. Fernando Fernandez cut the ribbon to formally open the trade exhibition.

A brief but satisfying coffee break settled all the delegates in the session hall for the lecture proper of Day 1. Entitled “TMJ 1st Orthodontics”, Dr. Kazumi Ikeda revisited basic concepts and discussed new and valuable information on maintaining stable joints while aligning teeth, disc displacement and orthodontic treatment, and mandibular growth and joint status. 

More torrential rains throughout the day all the way into the evening of August 6 and the eventual metro-wide suspension of work and classes made the Congress Organizing Committee decide to call off Day 2 proceedings in favor of the delegates’ safety and well-being.

Slightly less rains on August 8 allowed Day 2 lectures to finally push through. Starting off early on the second day was the presentation of the 1st Luz Macapanpan Memorial Lecture fittingly spearheaded by Drs. Ermelinda Galang and Roberto Tan.

Following immediately were equal amounts of entertainment and worthwhile facts from Prof. Tae-Woo Kim’s lectures. Speaking about Openbite Cases, Prof. Kim enthusiastically shared his expertise from basic principles down to clinical applications.

The highly-appreciative audience poured out questions for both gracious field experts, Dr. Ikeda and Prof. Kim.

Drs. Martin Reyes and Laarni Serraon kept the flow smooth and steady as emcees of the soaked but definitely successful affair.