Dear Colleagues,

We are just one year behind and one year ahead of two great meetings: the upcoming one in Cape Town, South Africa and the past in Fukuoka, Japan. We would like to thank our past presidents Kiyoshi Koyano and  Regina Mericske-Stern for their dedicated efforts to guide the College forward and host a successful meeting in Fukuoka.  Our delegates enjoyed an excellent scientific program as well as many exciting social events.

Our past presidents Kiyoshi Koyano and Regina Mericske-Stern mentioned in their last letter that internationalism is one of the many positive aspects of our College. In fact, internationalism means communication, an attempt of global understanding and a global view of the vast fields of prosthodontics. But internationalism and global standards may have inherent aspects of concern for the ICP, in various directions:

• We are a growing international group that gathers every two years. In the time between, our contacts are loose, communication sparse and many do not know each other. Members may get the impression that the ICP is present on stage in the extravaganza of meetings and symposia every two years; then it disappears and is silent again. Members may wonder whether the ICP really has an impact on the world of dentistry, particularly to prosthodontics.

• Prosthodontics, unlike all other disciplines in dentistry, is characterized by its particular number of sub-disciplines. Many of these sub-disciplines become their own specialty and have their own associations and gatherings. Therefore, the focus of interest may vary widely among ICP members that may not have the same standards or daily activities.

• The dichotomous basis of prosthodontics is the biology (mouth/body) and high quality of dental techniques. Prosthodontics has to combine and unify both rather than underscore these controversial aspects. Materials and technical quality have a strong impact on health of oral tissues and their biological reactions.

• Worldwide socioeconomic and demographic trends influence increasingly prosthetic therapy and services we provide to our patients. This leads to different conceptual directions and "two class" dentistry has become the reality in prosthodontics. Many patients will not benefit from new developments and treatment modalities.

We, the provider of dental care, have to understand each patients’ values, expectations and behaviors regarding prosthodontic therapy. It is a remarkable task for the ICP to integrate these various aspects of prosthodontics. Members should appreciate the goal of the ICP as a platform for discussion, understanding and learning from each other.

The ICP Board and Standing Committees continue to be active; we have debated various issues that will be brought to your attention. Our officers and committee members are challenged to strengthen and collect information regarding teaching and education in prosthodontics on a graduate level. In this light, a workshop initiated and prepared with enthusiasm by George Zarb, will be held for the second time in Karlsruhe, Germany. We are confident that this workshop will continue to provide new and enlightening perspectives.

It may be a future goal of the ICP to be more involved with local activities in the dental world. The International Journal of Prosthodontics is well recognized, worldwide, in the prosthodontic community. We are proud of its prosperity and highly appreciate the inputs and many innovative ideas from our editor. Unfortunately many readers of the journal do not associate the journal with the ICP. Thus, the ICP should try to gain greater exposure and recognition; the journal would be an ideal platform for this communication.

In closing, we would like to encourage all our colleagues to attend our next meeting in Cape Town, South Africa. 

The ICP's new dynamic web site where members can update their personal information and review and/or pay their annual dues continues to be an asset. Members also have the option to post or change their contact information and add a picture of themselves on the web site. Please visit our new web site and update your personal information. More importantly… encourage your colleagues to join our College.