Dear colleagues,

As the Executive Director, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the organizing committee members, specifically Dr. Gunaseelan Rajan, Congress President; Dr. Jimson S, Organizing Secretary; and Dr. V.B. Krishna Kumar Raja, Chairman of the Scientific Committee, of the 16^th Congress of the Asian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS).

As you know, due to COVID-19, the 14^th ACOMS in Singapore had to be postponed from 2020 to 2021 and was held fully online, while the 15^th ACOMS in Seoul was held in a hybrid format with a limited number of overseas participants. I am delighted to announce that the 16^th ACOMS in Chennai will be held fully face-to-face, marking the first time since the 2018 ACOMS in Taipei. India has experienced rapid development not only in the economy but also in the medical field, and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is no exception.

Dr. Gunaseelan Rajan, the current President of the Asian AOMS, has made tremendous efforts and significant contributions to the Asian AOMS over the past several years. Therefore, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to him first. Dr. Sanjiv Nair, the current President of the IAOMS, has also contributed to the Asian AOMS, and I am confident that under his leadership, the IAOMS will progress, strengthening the presence of the Asian AOMS within the IAOMS. Dr. Jimson S, the Organizing Secretary, also made significant contributions to the Asian AOMS through the 5^th Asian Trainee Conference in October 2021, which was exceptionally well-organized and successful as a virtual conference.

Finally, I would like to express my sincere thanks to AOMSI for their unwavering support of the Asian AOMS. I am hopeful that we will witness a bright future for oral and maxillofacial surgery, not only in India but throughout Asia.

Warm regards,

    

Prof. Dr. Tetsu Takahashi
Executive Director
Asian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons