Contents - IADR/AADR

ophthalmological research, dermatological research, or head and neck research.
OBJECTIVE
With this preamble regarding the originality of its creation, one must now ask to what extent the
objectives of the IADR have been met during its first fifty years. When one re-examines Article II of the IADR
Constitution, it is evident that the stated goals may be itemized under the following categories:
A. To promote broadly
1. Advancement of research in all branches of dental science
2. Advancement of research in the related phases of sciences that
a) Contribute to development of oral health service
b) Add to knowledge of the mouth and the teeth
c) Add to knowledge of bodily relations of the teeth
B. To encourage and facilitate
1. Cooperative effort between investigators
2. Achievement by investigators
3. Mutual helpfulness among investigators
a) in all nations
b) in every division of stomatology
C. To the end that
1. Dentistry may render cumulatively more perfect service to humanity
A. ". . . to promote broadly . . ."
In the early years the IADR meetings were mostly concerned with clinical studies supplemented with
observations derived from the basic tools of anatomy, histology, and pathology. As the field developed, it is
noteworthy that many innovations in research methodology were almost immediately applied to and in some
cases even pioneered through studies on problems of dentistry. Thus we find that the utilization of the newest
investigative approaches, such as radioactive isotopes, electron microscopes, and lasers, had remarkably prompt
application to problems of dental research.
Perhaps one of the most important impacts of the IADR was its wholesome influence on dentistry's
ability to draw scientists from other fields into dental research and thus to provide stimulating associations
between them and dentists involved in scholarly pursuits. In this connection one notes in the Constitution that
such advancement of other sciences was expected to "contribute directly to the development of oral health
service". In other words, the organizers of the IADR hoped to bring scientists from other fields into the
organization in the hope of stimulating such colleagues to contribute directly to problems of oral health. This
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR DENTAL RESEARCH (IADR) – THE FIRST FIFTY YEAR HISTORY PAGE 33