International Association of Dental Students

The International Association of Dental Students (IADS) is a non-governmental organization representing interests of dental students worldwide. It was founded in August 1951 in Copenhagen, Denmark, and currently has more than 200,000 students from 60 countries.

History
In February 1951, the national organization of French stomatology students invited some of their colleagues from other countries to attend their annual meeting in Paris, France, where the Danish, Dutch and Swedish representatives proposed to establish international dental students' organization. Such proposal was unanimously welcomed.

A committee consisting of representatives from Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom was formed to work out the basic principles on which to build the constitution of the association. This constitution was drafted and the first executive committee was elected; Leslie Sorling from Sweden was elected the first president.

Congress
Two international meetings take place each year to offer the opportunity for dental students delegates to come together to discuss their current issues and future strategies. One of these two meetings is called the Mid Year Meeting (MYM) and usually takes place by the end of each winter, while the other one is the Annual Congress (AC) which takes place by the end of each summer.

Honorary Life Members
The title of Honorary Life Member (HLM) is the highest rank within the IADS, awarded to leaders through unanimous voting by the General Assembly. This esteemed designation recognises leaders who have made enduring and exceptional contributions to the association's mission and objectives. The ongoing impact of these eminent leaders continues to shape the organisation's trajectory, reflecting their unparalleled dedication and leadership. According to IADS Bylaws, Chapter 1 (Membership), "Honorary Life Members (HLM) shall be persons who have made distinguished contributions to the Association, and must be appointed unanimously by the General Assembly and shall be ex-officio members of the General Assembly without the right to vote, unless they have been certified as delegates by a Full Member".

Green Dentistry Day
Green Dentistry is a joint project between IADS and Freier Verband Deutscher Zahnärzte (FVDZ) Student Chamber with the goal to raise awareness in dental practitioners and teach them how to change their routines towards a profitable and eco-friendly workflow for their future dental practices. Because in the last 20 years the trash produced per dental clinic has strongly increased, the tendency to use more and more single-use instruments (disposable) in the dental field and to be economically prepared for Future regulation.

Green Dentistry Day is held each year on 22 May. It was launched in 2020 by competition among worldwide dental students in order to promote green dentistry.