ABOUT SEAADE

South East Asia Association for Dental Education (SEAADE)

Vision

Inspiring excellence in dental education to enhance oral health and well-being

Mission

To advance transformative and evidence-based innovations in dental education through regional and global collaborations.

Strategic Focus

1. Drive Innovation in Dental Education

Support the development of contemporaneous dental education through the integration of technology, digital tools and interprofessional education in the dental curricula.
Promote research and innovation in dental education pedagogy and practice.

2. Promote Faculty and Leadership Development

Organise workshops and training programmes to build the capacity of educators in innovative and effective teaching and learning pedagogies and methodologies.
Support mentorship programmes for young faculty members to facilitate professional growth and development.

3. Foster Regional and Global Collaborations

Foster collaborations among member institutions to share best practices and resources.
Strengthen partnerships with regional and global organisations engaged in dental education.

4. Address Regional Challenges in Education and Oral Health Care

Focus on reducing disparities in access to quality dental education and oral health care across Asia
Promote geriatric oral health education to address the growing needs of an aging population and ensure that dental professionals are equipped to provide appropriate care for seniors.
Promote environmentally sustainable practices in dental education and healthcare delivery.

5. Enhance SEAADE’s Visibility and Impact

Strengthen SEAADE’s presence through impactful conferences, publications, and initiatives that highlight the region’s contributions to dental education.
Expand SEAADE’s membership and cultivate stronger engagements with existing members.

History of SEAADE

The idea of forming an association of dental educators in the South East Asian Region arose from the need to improve communication between the various dental institutions. During the IADR (South East Asian Division) meetings in the late eighties this idea was discussed and accepted. The delegates who attended these meetings then, proposed that an association be set up to further develop the close relationship of the member countries in the education field. This will provide a more formal platform in which problems of dental education and research could be discussed.

The South East Asia Association for Dental Education (SEAADE) was formed in 1990 at the Singapore meeting of the 78th FDI World Dental Congress. The early proponents of this organization included many leading educators in the region and they formed the Founding Council of SEAADE in Singapore.

The Constitution was then drafted by Toh Chooi Gait and accepted at an annual general meeting the following year and with it the preparation of the First Edition of the Directory of Dental Schools and Research that was led by Keng Siong Beng and Teo Choo Soo. They continue to update the directory until the 4th edition that was published in 1999.

The Blue SEAADE logo with the ring surrounding the letters was designed by Keng Siong Beng and used to represent the close circular bond among the association of dental schools.

The formation of the South East Asia Association for Dental Education (SEAADE) created a milestone for dental education and research in this part of the world. Since its inception in 1990, the association has grown from strength to strength with more and more member institutions joining each year and annual scientific meetings held in various countries in the region.

In year 2001 President Toh Chooi Gait (Malaysia) together with FC Smales (Hong Kong) and Krassanai Wangrangsimakul (Thailand) formed a steering committee to develop a school visit program with a self-reporting analytical tool to introduce the SEAADE Peer Review and Consultation Program. The first SEAADE Peer Review and Visitation was led by then Chair of the Peer Review and Consultation Program, Professor Toh Chooi Gait to Centro Escolar University, Philippines in July 2005. Professor FC Smales served as the rapporteur and other panel members included Professor Margaret Comfort and Associate Professor Keng Siong Beng. Subsequent visits were conducted in University of Indonesia (November 2005), Universiti Sains Malaysia (August 2006), Mahidol University (August 2007), Sultan Agung Islamic University (October 2012), International Medical University (December 2014), Our Lady of Fatima University College of Dentistry (Jan 2015), University of the East College of Dentistry (June 2015), University of Medicine and Pharmacy at HoChiMinh City (July 2017), Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy (July 2017) and Hanoi Medical University (July 2017).

Year 2006 was also significant as the first SEAADE – GC sponsored student competition in Preventive Dentistry was inaugurated with the meeting in Jakarta. The keenness of the competition was reflected in the many participants from the dental schools. The standard of presentation was high and Dental Schools soon earmarked this as a highlight of student research activity. The GC Asia Dental continued to support this very worthwhile annual event until year 2016. This event was initiated by President Rahimah Abdul Kadir during her term of office and continued under her purview until 2016.

During the term of President Leung Wai Keung in 2011 and 2012 a leadership training program known as The Dental Leadership Experience Program DLEP was instituted between SEAADE and Colgate. The program for Deans and Heads of institution was held at the 22nd Annual Meeting in Singapore in 2011 and a similar programme was conducted at the 23rd Annual Meeting in the Hong Kong in 2012.

The SEAADE is affiliated to IFDEA (International Federation of Dental Educators Association).

The SEAADE annual meetings are usually held back to back with meetings of the IADR (SEA Division) as both associations attract similar participants i.e. the dental educators who are also active in research. During the years when the IADR (SEA Division) would join the hosting of IADR (General Session) or IADR (APR) meeting in the region, SEAADE would hold its annual scientific meetings. Since its beginning in Singapore, annual meetings have been held in Hong Kong (1991), Taipei (1992), (Kuala Lumpur (1993), Manila (1994), Pataya (1995), Jakarta (1996), Phuket (1997), Jakarta (1998), Singapore (1999), Taipei (2000), Kuala Lumpur (2001), Hong Kong (2002), Ho Chi Minh City (2003), Koh Samui (2004), Malacca (2005), Jakarta (2006), Bali (2007), Manila (2008), Chiang Mai (2009), Taipei (2010), Singapore (2011), Hong Kong (2012), Bangkok (2013), Kuching (2014), Bali (2015), Ho Chi Minh City (2016), Taipei (2017), Danang (2018), Kuala Lumpur (2019), Bangkok (2020) (online), Jakarta (2021) (online), SiemReap (2022).

The Deans Meeting and Forum is held during the annual scientific meeting and has taken on new impetus with regular topics of discussion being held at the Annual meetings. Several educational workshops have also been held. Two workshops facilitated by Toh Chooi Gait, Krassanai Wangrangsimakul and Callum Durward on developing a SEAADE competency document were held in Kuching (2014) and Bali (2015) respectively. The outcome at the end of the second workshop in Bali (2015) that was attended by representatives from 65 member dental institutions was the SEAADE “COMPETENCIES OF THE NEW GENERAL DENTAL PRACTITIONER” document to serve as the foundation to:

Define the major and supporting competencies necessary for entry into the dental profession as independent general dental practitioners;
Promote common standards of dental education in South East Asia and other Asian countries that this organisation serves;
Promote adoption of best practices in dental education with aim of producing competent general dental practitioners who are capable of providing safe and quality patient care;
Serve as a central resource to promote harmonisation of dental curriculum of dental institutions in the region, thus contributing to standardisation of dental practice standards in the region;
Facilitate acceptance and mobility of dental practitioners in the region.

In celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the founding of SEAADE, the annual meeting that is held in Kuala Lumpur adopts the theme “Reimagining Dental Education” with several pre-conference workshops organised to facilitate and promote academic quality administration, novel teaching-learning methods and educational research. SEAADE introduces the SEAADE Innovation Awards to encourage innovations in dental education that enhance educational outcomes and/or student experience. The areas of awards include Curriculum Design, Teaching and Learning Method, Assessment, Interprofessional Learning, Community Based Education, Simulation, Student Competencies, Education Technology, and Faculty Development. There are also awards for student competitions for oral health promotion videos, reimagining dental education pecha kucha challenge and research report posters. A student debate has also been introduced between Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and University of Indonesia.

Presently the Association is represented by the major dental schools from 13 countries in Asia.