The International Federation of Dental Anesthesiology Societies (IFDAS) is a professional association established in 1976. IFDAS is devoted solely to promoting the safe and effective use of sedation and anesthesia by educationally qualified dentists for their patients.

Purpose

The purpose of IFDAS is to promote and encourage the study of and to extend the practice of improved methods of administering anesthesia, analgesia and sedation in dentistry and other related branches in dentistry and to bring the benefits of these methods to the people of the world; to promote the international exchange of knowledge, technology and research achievements in dental anesthesia, analgesia and sedation and other related branches of dentistry; and to publish research results and other educational material for the benefit of member organisations, individual members and the general public.

Publications

IFDAS uses the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology's quarterly scientific journal Anesthesia Progress: A Journal for Pain and Anxiety Control in Dentistry as its official journal. Anesthesia Progress is indexed in Excerpta Medica (EMBASE), MEDLINE, and Periodicals Digest in Dentistry.  IFDAS also recommends the ADSA Pulse Newsletter as a source of further information.

Anesthesia Progress

The Pulse

Members

IFDAS Membership is open to all national dental societies as well as to individuals. 

Meeting History

Since its creation, the International Federation of Dental Anesthesia Societies has held tri-annual meetings where the leaders of dental sedation and anesthesia could meet and share information. Past meetings have included:

1976 - Monte Carlo, Monaco

1979 - London, UK

1982 - Tokyo, Japan

1985 - Bologna, Italy

1988 - Canberra, Australia[3]

1991 - Washington, DC, US - [4]

1994 - Trier, Germany

1997 - Christchurch, New Zealand

2000 - Jerusalem, Israel

2003 - Edinburgh, Scotland

2006 - Yokohama, Japan

2009 - Gold Coast, Australia

2012 - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, US

2015 - Berlin, Germany

2018 - Nara, Japan

2024 - Las Vegas, NV, US

2027 - Munich, Germany

Presidents

1976-1979 - Dr Tony Reyes Guerra (deceased) (Founding ‘Father’)

1979-1982 - Dr Gerald Holden (deceased) (Chair of London Congress)

1982-1985 - Professor Yasuya Kubota (deceased)(Charter President)

1985-1988 - Dr Luigi Baldinelli (deceased)

1988-1991 - Dr James Grainger (deceased)

1991-1994 - Dr Peter Jacobsohn 

1994-1997 - Dr Wolfgang Jakobs

1997-2000 - Dr John Sinclair (deceased)

2000-2003 - Dr Eliezer Kaufman 

2003-2006 - Dr Chris Holden

2006-2009 - Prof Yuzuru Kaneko

2009-2012 - Professor Douglas Stewart (deceased)

2012-2015 - Dr Jim Phero 

2015-2018 - Dr Bilal Al-Nawas

2018-2024 - Professor Tatsuya Ichinohe

2024-2027 - Dr Jason Brady

Past Horace Wells Award Winners

1994 Gerry Holden, Peter Sykes, Norman Trieger, Yasuya Kubota, Antonio Reyes-Guerra

1997 Stanley Malamed, Luigi Baldinelli

2000 Hideo Matsuura, James Grainger, Wolfgang Jakobs

2003 Chandra Rodrigo, Peter Jacobsohn

2006 Joel Weaver, John Yagiela, Yuzuru Kaneko

2009 Eliezer Kaufman

2012 Morton Rosenberg, Masahito Sumitomo, Solomon Rabinovich 

2015 Monika Daubländer, Christine Quinn

2018 Daniel Haas, Kazuaki Fukushima, James Phero

2024 Idit Matot, Kazuichi Yoshida, Karen Crowley

Past Winners of the IFDAS Badge of Honor: Y. Kubota Distinguished Service Award

2015 James Grainger, Joel Weaver

2024 Douglas Stewart