Home Dental Community 31ST MALAYSIAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION SCIENTIFIC CONVENTION AND TRADE EXHIBITION 2024 (31ST MDA SCATE 2024)
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31ST MALAYSIAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION SCIENTIFIC CONVENTION AND TRADE EXHIBITION 2024 (31ST MDA SCATE 2024)

31st MDA SCATE 2024 was successfully held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) from 26th to 28th January 2024 with the theme ‘Dentistry Reimagined’. Additionally, post-conference workshops were held on the 29th January 2024 at the Osstem Training Centre and The Dental Academy respectively. Bollywood-themed Speakers Night was glamorously organized at the Le Mirch Restaurant in Avenue K on 27th January 2024. The event was officiated by the Guest of Honour, the Principal Director of Oral Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Yang Berusaha Dr Noormi Binti Othman.

31st MDA SCATE 2024 was graced by 6 international speakers, 27 local speakers, 55 local organising committees, and 1079 delegates. The conference showcased 27 plenary sessions by experts, 6 lectures by rising stars, 5 masterclasses, 3 forums, and 2 workshops. The scientific competition had 14 oral presentations that included original research, case reports, and reviews. The trade exhibition recorded 229 booth sales involving 91 traders (79 local companies and 12 international companies) with 2129 visitors (2011 local visitors and 118 international visitors) cumulatively. The mentorship program had 89 dental undergraduate students volunteering as mentees from various dental schools in Malaysia – a workshop was specially organised for these mentees, in collaboration with NeOOne Associates.

The conference had a diversified scientific program encompassing all the fields in dentistry that managed to attract handsome number of delegates. Generally, it was a smooth-sailing event with minor glitches that were easily managed and rectified without causing any impediment. The post-conference feedback revealed that speakers and delegates were satisfied with the program, venue, hospitality, food and beverages, and trade exhibition. The organising team is extremely grateful to Haleon (main sponsor), Osstem (convention workshop speaker sponsor), Mani (convention speaker sponsor), The Dental Academy (workshop venue sponsor), Henry Schein (workshop support), and various trade partners for their generous contribution and steadfast support.

On the flip side, a delay in the active promotion of the event resulted in the participation numbers being slightly underwhelming in the initial phase of preparation, which exponentially increased following effective promotional materials being generated over time. The conference date coinciding with the Thaipusam celebration and long weekend also affected the participation numbers; hence in future serious consideration should be given to ensure conference dates are not clashing with public holidays and religious festivals.

As for the scientific program, more topics relatable to the general dental practitioners (eg: dental practise management, code of professional conduct, dental malpractice, and dentolegal issues) should be included in the future program as these are deemed to be more attractive. Additionally, the opening ceremony and forums should be scheduled as a stand-alone without any concurrent sessions in the future, to gauged maximum participations, hence ensuring important information and messages are conveyed to a larger number of the dental fraternity.

The scientific competition was initially planned to be separated into oral and poster presentations, but this could not be implemented as the number of abstract submissions were not adequate. For future events, more promotional ideas need to be incorporated to increase the number of abstract submissions that will allow separate categories (oral and poster; original research, case reports, etc) as this will allow objective judgement.

Despite having an overwhelming number of trade visitors, the exhibition area had sparse numbers of visitors any point of time, except at booths having mini-lectures and hands-on sessions. This could be attributed to the slow dental market in general as mentioned by many traders. However, most companies were also noted offering similar promotions to non-site purchases that could have resulted in many delegates not actively visiting all the booths during the event.

In conclusion, 31st MDA SCATE 2024 was a resounding success, and this could only be possible due to the synergistic effort by the amazing organising team, esteemed speakers, supportive trade partners, and wonderful delegates.

Dr Hetal Ashvin Kumar Mavani
Organising Chairperson
MDA SCATE 2024

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