Happiness is...

Happiness is a re-connected community of practice

We spend a lot of our lives at work and we’re fortunate if our work is varied and engaging. We’re also fortunate if we can develop a community of practice – that group of people who understand intimately what we do, share our ups and downs and become like an extended family.

Amazing opportunities

I’m an Endodontist (endo = inside, odont = tooth… think root canals!), a discipline I stumbled into in 1990 and one that has suited my patient, detailed personality very well. As well as serving patients and dentists though specialist clinical practice, endodontics has given me the most amazing opportunities to travel, to collaborate, share education and research projects and co-author.

One of my most cherished opportunities has come through the European Society of Endodontology, a federal organisation of national endodontic societies with more than 8000 members from 33 nations. First appointed as Editor in 2010, I chaired the Education and Scholarship Committee from 2011 until 2021 and was appointed President-Elect in 2020.

Then came COVID, and our joyous Biennial Congresses, Autumn clinical/scientific meetings and face to face meetings of the Executive Board and General Assembly were suddenly on hold. And despite the wonders of electronic technology, how much we missed the personal company of our friends and colleagues, the opportunities to share those highs and lows, encourage and support each other and look for opportunities to develop plans and collaborate.

So 2022 has felt like a momentous year as I assumed the Presidency and we gathered once again for ESE Budapest 2022, uniting 1600 delegates from 66 nations to share knowledge and skill, see the best in educational, diagnostic and therapeutic technology and relax in each other’s company once again. How we’d missed each other, and how saddened we were for those who were not able to join us this time.

Positivity of atmosphere

It is difficult to find words to describe the positivity of atmosphere as a busy HungExpo exhibition centre buzzed with delegates moving between the 6 lecture halls running throughout the two and a half day congress and the largest trade exhibition in the history of the society.

Newcastle was particularly well represented with Jamie Coulter winning the prestigious Wladimir Adlivankine Research Prize and scientific sessions chaired by Simon Stone, David Edwards, Paul Myers and Jamie Coulter.

The rich social programme found us cruising on the Danube and dining in the splendid Museum of Fine Art, with rich networking opportunities and catching up with friends and collaborators old and new.

It was good to be back and we look forward to Helsinki 2023!

John Whitworth

Professor of Endodontics