Ruddle On The Road: Jordanian Endodontic Society Conference 2012

 

Well, the Middle East trip continued and on January 15, Sunday, we went to the Dubai International Airport and caught Emirates 901 to Amman, Jordan.  Our air route took us right north and west up over Dammam, Saudi Arabia.  We flew across the Saudi Arabian peninsula.  As we approached Amman, Jordan, it was really neat to look down and see the Red Sea and how it divides out into that little “Y” area where you have the Suez Canal taking you right up to the Mediterranean.  So, I always liked geography and I always was impressed by how close in proximity many of these countries are when you actually start flying there, but of course you have to get there to notice all of this. 

So, anyway, we landed and at the airport we met a really wonderful doctor.  I say ‘doctor’ because she’s an endodontist and her name is Ghada Bassil.  Ghada is head of the Middle East, I believe in terms of Dentsply, my fairest market, and she’s very, very well respected with the doctors and the professional organizations because of her knowledge and effort to spread endodontics in this part of the world.  She was a super host and she was responsible for every facet of my stay. 

So, we drove on in and stayed at the Le Royal Hotel and Resorts.  That was the most important hotel, they told me, in Amman, Jordan.  Of course at about 5:00am, I awoke to the call to prayer.  You could hear this message coming over the loud speakers and it was quite different for a guy from the Western part of the world. 

In any event, we hung out a little bit more with Ghada and she showed us the lecture room and where we were going to have the workshops and the course would begin on Monday morning.  On Monday morning, I had the opportunity to meet the guy that actually invited me to Amman, Jordan and my wife Phyllis—Phyllis knows this guy better than I do because all the correspondence actually took place with Hassan Abu-Maizar.  And, Hassan’s a really nice guy.  He’s an endodontist.  And, I believe at this very moment that I’m giving this blog, he is vacationing in Orlando, Florida. 

So, he invited us.  We were met by Ghada.  And then of course, on Day One, Monday, I got to meet the President of the Jordanian Endodontic Society.  His name is Nayef Younis.  What a wonderful man this guy is.  And, of course, what you realize very quickly when you’re traveling is the people are so kind, they’re—they want to do anything they can to make your stay memorable and they’re doing everything they can to make sure you’re well cared for.  So, certainly Nayef was a wonderful friend and as the President, I just want to acknowledge him in this blog for what he and his team are doing in fact in Jordan to promote and advance endodontics.  

Well, I can’t talk much further about my lectures before I talk to you a little bit about Ibrahim Abu-Tahun.  Ibrahim Tahun is really a guy that I need to mention on this blog because he was the first President of the Pan-Arab Endodontic Conference.  It was always Ibrahim’s vision and his knowledge of what he saw endodontics doing in the future that created the whole idea of this congress that I participated in, in Dubai.  Well, he’s from Jordan and he’s a former President of the Jordanian Endodontic Society and so it was really good to see him, not only in Dubai but I also got to see him again and spend some time with him in Amman itself.

Well, the lecture on Monday morning, January 16 was four hours.  It was to nearly 300 general dentists.  I don’t know that we could go anywhere in the world and have 300 dentists come out on a Monday to a class.  Kind of unprecedented, don’t you think?  In any event, that gives you a little glimpse of their passion and love for clinical endodontics.  In the afternoon, I had another four hour session and that was with a very nice group of endodontists.  It was in fact, the Jordanian Endodontic Society.  We had about 30 guys there, and ladies, and it’s very interesting to work with them and see how they approach endodontics.  

So, I did a little demonstration with a microscope and again, they were focusing on wave one.  Most of them are and will be ProTaper users but some of them were fascinated as teachers at the school how their students might better adapt to something a little bit more simple so there was a lot of discussion and interaction about continuous rotation versus reciprocation.  

Well, that was Monday.  Of course, when you’re in that part of the world you eat dinner very late.  By the time we arrived back at our room, given the 12 hour difference in time between Santa Barbara and the Middle East, where I was at, it was not always so easy to go to sleep.  But in any event, fueled by the last day that was ahead of us, we leaped up and Phyllis became an all-star because on day two we really benefited from having her help me in those three workshops.  So, the workshops were basically two and a half hours, 30 minute break, two and a half hours, 30 minute break, lunch, two and a half hours.  It was a very, very long day, about 12 hours but we ran through a lot of people, through those workshops.  I would have to characterize my experience as remarkable. 

There was a lot of picture taking and it’s not something I’m very good at but I’ve adjusted to it over the years and it seemed like everybody needed to have their picture taken in groups or individually or you know, the whole group in it’s entirety.  So, there was a lot of picture taking and of course, it builds a lot of lasting memories for me that I’ll never forget.  

So, in closing, it was a great opportunity to go to the Middle East.  The only thing that was negative is the long, long haul flight to get there, but you soon forget that.  I’m now left with lasting memories of wonderful people, wonderful culture and endodontics is alive and well.  Thank you very much, and I tell you a little bit more here just in closing.  I have to go back—or, I get to go back to that part of the world in about six weeks as my travels will take me to Dammam, Saudi Arabia.  Jeddah.  Incidentally in Jeddah, the King of Saudi Arabia decided that he would not be out done by the Burj Khalifa Tower in Dubai, so they are going to build a tower 1000 meters tall.  That architectural work has already commenced.  So, I will have fun in Jeddah and then will end up in Kuwait and there I’ll be reunited with my dear friend Jawad Behbehani. 

In closing, I can’t escape this blog without my mentioning my dear friend, Edmond Koyess.  Edmond was down in Amman, Jordan for my two days and I just want to acknowledge him for all he’s doing as Department Chairman of Endodontics at St. Joseph’s in Beirut, Lebanon. 

So, to all my Arab friends, I send you greetings and best wishes.