• Promotion of Dentists’ Role: Emphasize dentists’ critical role in identifying oral manifestations of genetic disorders and craniofacial conditions, advocating for personalized and comprehensive care strategies.
• Knowledge Dissemination: Disseminate information through publications and organize scientific meetings to raise awareness, support policy changes, and enhance access to care for craniofacial condition patients.
• Integration of Genetic Knowledge: Establish a robust network of stakeholders, including dental and medical professionals, scientists, and academics, to integrate molecular and genetic insights into dental practice and influence oral health policies.
• Multi-disciplinary Research: Drive multi-disciplinary genetic and genomic research on non-communicable oral health conditions and rare diseases with craniofacial manifestations.
• Evidence-based Interventions: Develop and implement evidence-based interventions to reduce the disease burden of non-communicable oral health conditions and rare diseases in South Africa and Africa.
• Socio-Genomic Database: Create a specialized database for head and neck cancer and rare diseases to advance research and care.
• Professional Growth: Enhance the growth and capacity development of dentists-scientists specializing in craniofacial genetics through tailored CPD courses and workshops.
• Advanced Education Programs: Establish MSc and Ph.D. programs focusing on the molecular and genetic origins of rare diseases and non-communicable oral health conditions, fostering dentist-scientist career paths in Africa.
• Inspiring Future Careers: Motivate undergraduates and recent graduates to pursue careers in genetics, genomics, and molecular sciences