First JSDEI Symposium in Singapore to Share and Exchange the Latest Findings on the Two-Way Relationship between Diabetes and Oral Health

02 February 2016

419 professionals participated in this Singapore event, significantly exceeding the initial estimate. About 200 dentists, which accounted for 11 percent of the 1,800 dentists residing in Singapore, as well as doctors, nutritionists, pharmacists, nurses, dental hygienists, and researchers gathered from across Asia. Since the first JSDEI symposium was held in Chicago in 2008, a total of 19 editions have been held every year, with seven held in the United States and Japan each, and one in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Spain, and China, respectively. The latest event held in Singapore was the 20th Symposium. A total of 7,000 medical and dental experts had participated in the past 20 editions of the JSDEI symposium all over the world.

The theme of the Symposium was the “Treatment and Prevention of Diabetes in Asia, and the Cutting-Edge Research and Clinical Results of General and Oral Health”, and three sessions were held on the following three topics — (1) “Diabetes and its Complications”, (2) “Diabetes and Oral Health”, and (3) the “Patient’s Role in Diabetic Control”. Lectures were provided by 11 speakers, including Prof. George L. King, Director of Research at Joslin Diabetes Center; Dr. William C. Hsu, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; and Dr. Robert J. Genco, Distinguished Professor of Oral Biology and Microbiology and Immunology of the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York; as well as eight doctors and dentists representing Singapore from the National University of Singapore and the National University Hospital.

In the third session, there was a unique presentation on how to control lifestyle habits, which introduced topics such as diabetes management using smartphone apps, psychological analysis of diabetic patients, difference in blood sugar levels among different seasonings for Singaporean chicken fried rice, and the fact that eating rice with chopsticks helps prevent blood sugar elevation. In this way, the Symposium remained stimulating until the end. In addition, active discussions were held after each session through interactions where questions were sought from participants via a smartphone app.

At the beginning of the Symposium, Patrick Tseng, Chief Dental Officer at the Ministry of Health in Singapore, and Haruhisa Takeuchi, Ambassador of Japan to Singapore, gave the opening address. This Symposium was also an official event held in celebration of the 50 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Japan.

For more information, please refer to http://www.jsdei-seminar.sg/index.html

About Joslin Diabetes Center

Joslin Diabetes Center is the world’s preeminent diabetes clinic, diabetes research center, and provider of diabetes education. Joslin is dedicated to making sure people with diabetes live long, healthy lives, and offers real hope and progress towards diabetes prevention and a cure for the disease.

Founded in 1898 by Elliott P. Joslin, MD, Joslin is an independent non-profit institution affiliated with Harvard Medical School. For more information about Joslin, visit www.joslin.org.

In 2012, Joslin was re-accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and received the “Accreditation with Commendation” status, the highest rating achievable by a provider of CME.

Copyright © 2015 by Joslin Diabetes Center. All rights reserved.

About Sunstar Foundation

Established in 1977, the Sunstar Foundation for Oral Health Promotion has the aim to improve oral care among the general public, promoting dental health through various activities. The Sunstar Foundation’s efforts have been highly acclaimed both in Japan and internationally for their beneficial impact on society. In April 2008, Sunstar entered into an agreement with Joslin Diabetes Center to launch the Joslin-Sunstar Diabetes Education Initiative (JSDEI) which includes international symposiums for professionals. 20 JSDEI symposia have been held in Japan, the US, Europe, and Asia.

Website: http://www.sunstarfoundation.org/