Guests of Honour [from left to right]: Professor Peter Mathieson, HKU President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor the Hon Sophia Chan, Secretary for Food and Health, The Hon Mrs Carrie Lam, the HKSAR Chief Executive & HKU Chancellor, Professor the Hon Arthur Li, HKU Council Chairman and Professor Thomas Flemmig, Dean of HKU Faculty of Dentistry toast to the exciting future of the Faculty

The Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) hosted a Gala Dinner on 23 November 2017 at Harbour Grand Hong Kong, celebrating the Faculty’s 35^th Anniversary and its ranking as World's No. 1 dental faculty for the second year in a row by the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017.

The Gala Dinner was the most cherished and memorable event participated by over 350 distinguished guests from Hong Kong and overseas, including government officials, international scholars, dental professionals, prominent business representatives as well as the Faculty’s former Deans, alumni, academic staff and students.

At the dinner, The Hon Mrs Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, the HKSAR Chief Executive and HKU Chancellor, Professor the Hon Sophia Chan Siu-chee, Secretary for Food and Health, Professor the Hon Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, HKU Council Chairman, Professor Peter Mathieson, HKU President and Vice-Chancellor, together with Professor Thomas Flemmig, Dean of HKU Faculty of Dentistry officiated at the ceremony. The honourable guests inserted the 35^th Anniversary plaque on the giant tooth on stage while everyone cheered “Happy Birthday!”

The Chief Executive praises the Faculty in her speech

"It is a pleasure to be here to celebrate with you the 35^th Anniversary of the Faculty of Dentistry. Congratulation once again on the Faculty being ranked the world's No. 1 dental school. Your consistently outstanding ranking recognises the excellence of the Faculty in teaching and research," the Chief Executive praised the Faculty in her speech. She also mentioned, "The ambition of the Faculty goes well beyond teaching and research, indeed it is the close engagement with the local community and the world at large, that truly distinguishes HKU Faculty of Dentistry. The whole Faculty's staff and students are actively engaged in continuous community project and are committed to promoting oral and dental health in society."

Professor Thomas Flemmig shares with audience the 35 years of excellence of the Faculty of Dentistry

Professor Flemmig said in his welcome address, "The Faculty focuses on research, education and knowledge exchange contributing to our achievements today, thereby contributing to the advancement of oral health and well-being in Hong Kong, the region and the world. Two out of three dentists and two out of three dental specialists practicing in Hong Kong were trained in the HKU Faculty of Dentistry". He added, "To address the issue of shortage of dentists, especially dental specialists in Hong Kong, the Institute for Advanced Dentistry (IAD) was established early this year." IAD is a centre of excellence for the management of complex and severe oral conditions, which also provides continuous education opportunities and dental care services to the Hong Kong community.

Performance by our talented alumni and students lit up the night. A video show of the Faculty’s 35 years of excellence was led in by our students singing “Brighten Me with Virtues”, followed by a violin solo, magic shows and a capella performance.

The event ended successfully and everyone left with fond memories.

Over 350 local and overseas guests attended the gala dinner

Distinguished guests attending the Gala Dinner include our Guests of Honour, Faculty’s former Deans, HKU senior management team, alumni and students

Professor Chu Chun-hung, Associate Dean (External Relations) and Clinical Professor in Family Dentistry [left 4], Professor Deng Xuliang, Vice Dean, Peking University School of Stomatology [left 5], Professor Edward Lo, Tam Wah-ching Professor in Dental Science and Chair Professor of Dental Public Health [left 6] and other guests

Our Dean and academic staff share the joy of the Faculty's ranking as World’s No. 1 dental faculty at the Gala Dinner

[from left to right] Professor Frederick Smales, Professor Stephen Wei, Professor Thomas Flemmig, Professor Lakshman Samaranayake and Professor Edward Lo at the "Deans' Discussion Forum"

Concurrent with the 35^th Anniversary Gala Dinner Cum Celebration of World’s No.1 Dental Faculty on 23 November 2017 was a whole-day Symposium at the Prince Philip Dental Hospital. The Symposium received overwhelming response. Over 180 participants including local and overseas dental professionals, alumni, academic staff and students attended the event.

We were honoured to have six speakers who have attained remarkable and outstanding achievements in the dental profession to share their insights in various dental disciplines and related issues on this occasion. They were Dr Ansgar Cheng, Dr Franklin She, Dr Haston Liu, Dr Alex Chan, Dr Lily Tong and Professor Esmonde Corbet. Their presentations not only brought us knowledge about the latest developments, challenges and opportunities in various disciplines, but also the aspects of treatment consideration, legislative concerns and voluntary dental service.

The “Deans’ Discussion Forum” was the highlight of the Symposium. During the session, our former Deans of the Faculty Professor Stephen Wei, Professor Frederick Smales, Professor Lakshman Samaranayake and Professor Edward Lo together with the current Faculty Dean Professor Thomas Flemmig exchanged their views on the topic of "35 years of excellence, what's next?”. Their discussions provided the audience with insights into the way forward for future development.

A Friendly Alumni Soccer Match between the Faculty of Dentistry and the Faculty of Medicine was held on 21 October 2017 at Stanley Ho Sports Centre in celebration of the 35^th Anniversary of Faculty of Dentistry.

We were glad to have Dr the Hon Pierre Chan, Member of the Legislative Council (Medical), Professor Law Wai-lun, Associate Dean (Clinical Affairs) of Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine and Professor Thomas Flemmig, Dean of Faculty of Dentistry to officiate at the kick-off ceremony. Over 50 alumni, staff and students from the two faculties joined the soccer game. Both teams demonstrated their professional soccer skills and brought everyone a great performance that night.