It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 111th Scientific Meeting of the Japan Prosthodontic Society at the Bunkyo Civic Hall in Tokyo on May 21 to 23, 2004. On behalf of the host University, I express my appreciation to all the Society members and the associates who have enormous contribution and support to this meeting.

The meeting features a special session entitled “Esthetic Dentistry from views of Artistic Anatomy and Psychology”. The session will explore the ultimate oral-facial beauty, which is beyond the functional or morphologic beauty as a part of human body. In this session, Dr. Yamazaki from Waseda University will show her approach to this subject by her specialty on Psychology, while Dr. Miyanaga of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music will present her interpretation of this issue by the methodology of artistic anatomy.

The Symposium “Prosthodontics and 8020” is another original program that we proudly introduce. Invited speakers inside and outside from the Prosthodontic field will show the background of the 8020 campaign and its various relations to the Prosthodontic research and practice.

In the research training program entitled “Clinical Passway and Classification of Diseases in Prosthodontics”, the lecturers will propose guiding principles for the oral disability caused by the tooth loss and the establishment of its clinical assessment.

To reach this meeting’s main theme ”Qualify and Quantify the Oral Functions”, the assessment scale of mastication and speech ability, in addition to that of the oral disability with tooth loss, is an integral part of comprehensive evaluation of Prosthodontic treatment outcome. It is expected that those issues are vividly discussed in the oral and poster presentations for the general and special sessions.

We will also have the clinical training program “Examination and Diagnosis in Prosthodontic Practice” and the technical session “Applications of Electro-Forming to Prosthodontics”. These clinically-related educational sessions may directly assist promotion on advancements in everyday clinical practice of each society members.

The meeting is also the second joint opportunity with the Korean Academy of Prosthodontists (KAP). We proudly invite Dr. Cho, the president of KAP, to present his special lecture on the implant prostheses. Also, animated academic exchanges are expected in the International Sessions, where the number of presentations from Korea and Japan has reached to nine oral and 17 posters.

I hope you enjoy the meeting with these appealing special programs and 166 scientific presentations, and look forward to your participation in active discussions on each session for further progress and evolution of the scientific significance of the Society.