AI isn’t coming to dental education—it’s already in the trans-formative simulation lab.
VR headsets, haptic drills, digital gadgets and smart algorithms are quietly reshaping how future dentists learn to think, feel, and will act in the clinic: sharper hands, calmer minds, safer patients.
What once felt experimental thanks to Prof. Cox KCL and hapTEL is now a daily reality—from ultra-precise preclinical training to immersive scenarios that tackle patient fear and professional burnout before the first real appointment.
On 23 February 2026, Helsinki becomes the stage for a bold question: “Is Dental Education Ready for the Future?”
This HAiDENers Summit (hybrid format) brings together pioneers of digital, tactile, and human-centered education in one HAiDENers-style experience—where global evidence meets emotion, and technology meets ethics.
The more we live, the more we see. HAiDENers are sweet. Yet, we, Thinkers, have the power to get over what seems to be impossible. Believe Thinkers when we say that you have the power to build your curriculum the way you dream it, believe it and your power of fulfilling it constantly grows as your students grow, as you build it. No one said it's going to be easy, there will be millions of ups and downs! HAiDENers know it, but we, together, Thinkers are capable of letting them behind. So here we are to remind you, that no matter how dark is today, tomorrow will come with new chances, and tomorrow always comes on time. This is our era and our time is here. Get up! DREAM IT, BELIEVE IT, BUILD IT, and repeat. Life is sweet, anyway.
DREAM IT. BELIEVE IT.
BUILD IT!
...and repeat
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HAiDENERS is honoured to announce that ADEA President and CEO, Dr. Karen P. West, the living Voice of Dental Education will join the HAiDENers Summit Helsinki 2026 onsite with a keynote address on the challenges and opportunities of harmonizing dental curricula in a rapidly digitalizing world.
In her talk, Dr. West will explore how dental education can remain future‑ready, inclusive, and evidence‑driven while integrating AI, digital dentistry, and new learning technologies across diverse systems and regions. She will also reflect on ADEA’s vision for preparing an oral health workforce capable of delivering high‑quality, technology‑enabled patient care for all communities.
Join us at the HAiDENers FREE Hybrid Summit – HELLOHKI to be part of this conversation and help shape the next chapter of dental education. Globally.
Welcome To Finland!
Hello Helsinki
Welcome to Finnish Time: 14:30
Dr. Hiroe Ohyama
Harvard
Dr. Hiroe Ohyama
Harvard
Dr. Hiroe Ohyama bridges three worlds in one career: Japanese clinical excellence, Harvard based innovation, and a deep commitment to teaching the next generation of dentists.
Associate Professor and Director of Operative Dentistry at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, she combines a D.D.S. from Tohoku University, an M.M.Sc. and advanced training from HSDM, and a Ph.D. in oral biology from the University of Tokyo to bring rigorous science into everyday clinical education.
A graduate of the ADEA Leadership Institute and former fellow of the Harvard Medical School Academy in Medical Education, Dr. Ohyama has steadily transformed her passion for teaching into leadership that shapes curricula, mentors future faculty, and helps define what modern, evidence based operative dentistry looks like in the United States and beyond.
From Your Time Zone to Helsinki Time! We are starting at 9:00 AM (CET+2)
President of HAIDENERS
University of Liverpool (UK)
University of Liverpool (UK)
MUW (Poland)
CDNPH (Romania)
University of Cincinnati (OH, US)
University of Turin (Italy)
EMU (Uzbekistan)
Chongqing Medical University (China)
UEF (Finland)
Niigita University (Japan)
Universidad Europea de Valencia, Spain
Dental education stands at a crossroads: across the world, 30–50% of dental students report at least moderate levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, driven by relentless workload, skill demands, exams, and clinical pressure. In this reality, digital gadgets are not luxuries—they are transformative tools that can reimagine, rebalance, and humanise how we teach, learn, and care.
Together, HAiDENers refuse to ignore the mental health crisis in dental education. Together, we turn digital gadgets into instruments of hope, equity, and excellence—so that every learner, everywhere, can thrive, not just survive, in the journey to becoming a dentist.
Once a group of friends jamming in FINLAND, again, our story is a whirlwind of passion and perseverance. We honed our sound through countless late-night sessions, 1000s of emails, and soon, our HELSINKI HAiDENERS FREE & HYBRID Summit.
With over 60 hubs from top Universities, we're rocking virtual and real stages across the globe. Stay tuned for our upcoming HELSINKI SUMMIT by PLANMECA.
From Harvard and Hong Kong to Warsaw, Turin, Cincinnati, and beyond, our Helsinki podium brings together visionary clinicians and educators who are actively reshaping how dentistry is taught and learned. Presidents, president-elects, and skill‑competition leaders from HAiDENers, adee, ADEA, AAWD, CED‑IADR, NOF and leading universities stand shoulder to shoulder to share their experience, evidence, and passion for the next generation.
This unique constellation of global experts turns one day in Helsinki into a living laboratory of innovation, inspiration, and collaboration in dental education.
With Deep Gratitude to
HAiDENERS´hubs are where real‑world actions meets trans-formative simulations to create a true gamechanger in dental education.
Every new system deserves—and receives—rigorous, globally validated testing by mentors and mentees working side by side.
WTF, Helsinki (23/02/2026), HAiDENERS welcomes those who dare to reshape the future of hands‑on oral health training.
In the world’s happiest country for the ninth year in a row, the formula is simple:
when technology, trust and teamwork come together, education becomes lighter, smarter and more human. HAiDENERS and Planmeca’s shared Finnish roots – reinforced by five decades of evidence‑based product development – now anchor a global movement where better digital education means better dentistry and, ultimately, healthier smiles everywhere.
Planmeca’s 50‑plus‑year story is a journey from Nordic pioneer to global benchmark in digital dentistry, built on unwavering commitment to education and evidence‑based innovation. For more than half a century, Planmeca has co‑designed its solutions side by side with universities and clinicians, ensuring that every unit, software platform and simulator is grounded in research, learning science.
HAiDENERS are not only a series of high‑level meetings, but a global engine for evidence‑based educational research: in less than 2.5 years, the network has appeared in some of the world’s most recognised dental education journals and beyond. For more information and publications, visit haideners.org.