Education Is Universal

People are people. Even with miles between us, the common thread that seems to unite the dental profession is passion for what we do. As I travel to different countries teaching and sharing information, it becomes ever more clear to me that the dental field truly is an international community filled with like-minded clinicians and technicians. Most of us have attended our local shows and possibly traveled domestically or even internationally in search of education and knowledge, product information, and, of course, the camaraderie that comes from being a part of our dental community. Although I have had the luxury of speaking in many places in this great dental world, I recently returned from a 2-week lecture tour that took me from Taipei to Kaohsiung, Xaimen, and finally Shanghai. Any concerns I had about not speaking the language or perhaps not knowing enough about the culture were washed away on Day One. Standing in front of a group of local dentists and technicians, I was overwhelmed by the excitement on each of their faces, each one clearly passionate about the field and eager to learn. Despite language barriers and difficulties in translation, there was an overwhelming shared enthusiasm in dental education and a spirit of exchange among members of the global dental community.