The World Dental Congress FDI 2026 in Prague (September 4–7) will serve as a platform for discussing profound transformations in the profession — from artificial intelligence and digital workflows to a reorientation towards prevention and sustainable development. We spoke with the Chair of the FDI Education Committee Dr. Antonio Estrada Valenzuela and the scientific leaders of the congress, Professor Falck Schwendicke and Dr. Roman Schmuckler, about the principles that determined the selection of topics and speakers.
The FDI Education Committee focused on clinical relevance for practicing physicians and specialists. Speakers were selected based on international representation and authority in their fields. Considerable space has been allocated to emerging areas: digital dentistry, artificial intelligence (two symposia and several lectures), oral surgery (13 lectures and a symposium).
The balance between international significance and the interests of the Czech region was achieved through cooperation with the local organizing committee, which helped determine priorities for both the international audience and local participants.
Scientific credibility, clinical excellence, and the ability to translate knowledge into practice — these are the main criteria for speaker selection. The program intentionally brings together recognized researchers with experienced clinicians and leaders from everyday practice. This balance is critical: dentistry progresses most effectively when an evidence-based foundation meets real-world applicability.
Particular attention has been paid to diversity of speakers by discipline, region, career stage, and perspective. The program covers restorative dentistry, prevention, oral surgery, prosthodontics, periodontology, public health, digital workflows, and technologies.
Each session was evaluated through a single question: what practical value will participants take back to their clinics, universities, or healthcare systems?
Artificial intelligence is moving from theoretical debates into practical application — image analysis to support diagnosis, risk prediction, clinical decision support. At the same time, AI raises questions of ethics, regulation, education, and professional responsibility.
Digital workflows are becoming the standard: intraoral scanning, CAD/CAM systems for personalized prosthodontics, digital planning for guided implant placement. These tools increase the efficiency and accuracy of treatment, improve communication between clinicians, technicians, and patients.
However, innovation only makes sense if it improves patient outcomes. Therefore, the congress also emphasizes prevention, sustainable development, minimally invasive approaches, adaptation to an aging population, and equitable access to dental care.
Dentistry is changing faster than it has in the last 100 years. Artificial intelligence, robotics, changing disease patterns, growth of large dental organizations — the profession is undergoing fundamental transformation.
Instead of a traditional congress format, the team insisted on focused sessions for in-depth exploration of specialized topics. Speakers were invited not simply as presenters, but as experts capable of challenging assumptions, bringing fresh perspectives, and demonstrating approaches with clear clinical relevance.
The goal of the congress is to help participants leave Prague with a clear understanding of how to respond to change, rather than with a sense of confusion. Those who engage with these emerging areas early will be better positioned to adapt to the new professional landscape.
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