The 2025 World Military Dental Congress and Annual Meeting of the Section of Defence Forces Dental Services (SDFDS) was held in Xi’an, the People’s Republic of China from 5th to 8th September 2025. It was jointly hosted at the Sofitel Xi’an on Renmin Square Hotel by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Stomatological Committee, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University and the SDFDS Executive Committee.

The Welcome Reception was held on 5th September 2025 at the venue, where a total of 50 foreign and 150 local Dental Officers from 24 countries were welcomed by Chair of the SDFDS Executive Committee, Capt (Navy) Nanda van de Kraats-van Klink from the Netherlands and Chair of the Local Organising Committee, Sr Col. Niu Lina from the PLA.

The scientific programme was conducted over two days, where a total of 32 presentations were delivered across 4-themed sessions; Operational Military Dentistry, Optimising Clinical Care, Innovation in Military Dental Scientific Research and Strategising Service Delivery. In addition, and for the first time, a total of 162 poster presentations were on display, showcasing mainly local research being carried out.

The delegates had the opportunity to visit the Third Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University Stomatological Hospital of Xi’an, and the International Museum of Stomatology which is the largest stomatological museum in the world and recognised as the most influential specialised museum in the dental field. The delegates then as part of the cultural tour had the privilege to visit the World-Famous Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum to see the Terracotta Warriors, renowned as the eighth wonder of the world. This was followed by an evening dinner of local Xi’an Cuisine and visit to the Grand Tang Mall, China’s only large-scale pedestrian street featuring Tang Style architecture against the backdrop of the prosperous Tang culture.

The SDFDS Executive Committee extends their deepest appreciation to all the delegates for attending the meeting and those that had contributed in making the event such a resounding and memorable success. The meeting ended with a presentation on the 2026 SDFDS meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, followed by the Closing Ceremony. 

We look forward to meeting everyone again at SDFDS 2026 in Prague, Czech Republic on the 1st to 4th September 2026!

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