The 16th Asian Chief Dental Officer Meeting
Co-organized by the WHO Regional Offices for the Western Pacific and South-East Asia, the ACDOM Organizing Committee, and the Local Organizing Committee (Oral Health Programme, Ministry of Health Malaysia).
Held in conjunction with the International Congress of the Asian Academy of Preventive Dentistry (ICAAPD), 30 September – 2 October 2026, at the same venue.
WPRO & SEARO
The WHO Regional Offices for the Western Pacific and South-East Asia provide the technical framework and international mandate for the meeting.
The ACDOM Organizing Committee, including WHOCC Japan and WHOCC Thailand as Co-Secretariats, provides the convening platform and organizational continuity.
Oral Health Programme, Ministry of Health Malaysia, hosting and coordinating venue, logistics, and on-the-ground arrangements in Sabah.
Ground arrangements — accommodation, meeting facilities, and secretariat coordination — made possible through the generous support of The Borrow Foundation.
A WHO regional meeting
The 16th ACDOM is co-organized by the WHO Regional Offices for the Western Pacific and South-East Asia, the ACDOM Organizing Committee, and the Local Organizing Committee (Oral Health Programme, Ministry of Health Malaysia). Participants arrive 26 September; the programme runs 27–29 September, with eligibility differing by session — see "Who should attend" below.
Arrival day
26 September 2026 · SaturdayAirport pickup and hotel check-in, 09.00–22.00, ahead of the programme's first day.
WHO SPDI Workshop
27–28 September 2026Hands-on technical work on the WHO Service Package Design and Implementation (SPDI) platform: gap analysis, costing, peer review, and procurement strategy. For national oral health/UHC leads, WHO Collaborating Centres, and WHO Regional/Country Office focal points. Other ACDOM members (country representatives, sponsors, founders, and other LOC) may request to attend as observers, subject to due diligence.
ACDOM Business Meeting
29 September 2026The full ACDOM plenary, open to all ACDOM members — including non-CDO country representatives, ACDOM co-founders, and the organizing committee, not only those enrolled in the SPDI Workshop. Features speakers from WHO HQ, SEARO, and WPRO.
Day-by-day programme (Tentative)
This agenda is tentative and subject to change. Final details will be communicated closer to the meeting date.
Check-in & Costing
- 08.30Registration
- 09.00Opening session — tour de table, welcome remarks, agenda & objectives
- 10.00Session 1: Check-in — SPDI gap analysis, service delivery, workforce & essential medicines
- 12.00Lunch
- 13.00Session 2: Costing & resource planning — hands-on workshop using the WHO costing tool
Peer Review & Procurement
- 09.00Recap of Day 1 & objectives for Day 2
- 09.15Session 3: Peer review — small-group sessions
- 12.00Lunch
- 13.00Session 4: Procurement strategies — WHO guidance on pooled procurement & supply chains
- 16.30Closing & next steps
ACDOM Business Meeting
- 08.30Opening remarks
- 09.00Planning UHC Implementation for Oral Health — Global, Regional & Country Perspectives. Speaker: Dr Benoit Varenne (WHO HQ), with SEARO/WPRO & country reps. Chair: YBrs. Dr. Fauziah Ahmad (LOC)
- 10.15Group photo session
- 10.30Country progress on sugar control & fluoride use
- 12.30Lunch
- 13.30National GOHAP monitoring & evaluation frameworks
- 14.30Discussion on the future of ACDOM. Chair: Prof Hiroshi Ogawa
- 15.30Summary
- 16.30Optional visit (TBC)
- 18.30Farewell dinner
Departure / onward travel to ICAAPD: 30 September 2026.
Who should attend, and how to register
Eligibility, funding, and the registration route depend on who you are. Find the description that matches you.
You're a CDO enrolled in the 100-Day SPDI Workshop
WHO covers airfare for the 26–29 September on-site meeting — except CDOs from high-income countries (Japan, Republic of Korea, and Singapore). Hotel accommodation (4 nights), meeting package, and meals are covered by the LOC for all SPDI Workshop CDOs, regardless of income classification.
Questions before the invitation arrives — SEARO: Dr. Nalika Gunawardena · WPRO: Dr. Yuriko Harada.
You're a CDO who wants the 29 September session only
Registration is free for the Business Meeting and farewell dinner on 29 September. Hotel accommodation is LOC-supported for 2 nights (28–29 September) — earlier nights, if you arrive sooner, and your airfare are your own expense.
Deadline: 31 July 2026
You're an ACDOM member outside the two groups above
Includes country representatives (non-CDOs), sponsors, founders, and other LOC.
Register directly with the ACDOM Organizing Committee. Airfare is your own expense in both cases.
Deadline: 31 July 2026
These packages are for genuine outside observers with no other ACDOM standing. ACDOM members already attend the Business Meeting free of charge (see above) and should request only the SPDI Workshop observer add-on if needed, not the full 3-day package.
Farewell dinner is included in each registration fee above, not a separate charge. This self-reserved hotel rate applies only to self-funded observers and accompanying persons. Officially invited SPDI Workshop CDOs have hotel accommodation covered by the LOC for all 4 nights (26–29 Sep). Business Meeting-only CDOs and other ACDOM members (country representatives, sponsors, founders, and other LOC) have hotel accommodation covered by the LOC for 2 nights (28–29 Sep). Observers may request to share a room with a delegate from their organization by writing directly to the LOC at acdomofficial@gmail.com.
Download the full funding & support plan (PDF)Hilton Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
On the South China Sea coast in East Malaysia, with Mount Kinabalu inland to the east.
Hilton Kota Kinabalu
Sabah, MalaysiaHost venue for both sessions of the 16th ACDOM Meeting — the WHO SPDI Workshop and the ACDOM Business Meeting are held at the same location across the programme. The venue also hosts the ICAAPD Congress immediately afterward, for those continuing on. Hotel accommodation is LOC-covered for officially invited delegates — 4 nights for SPDI Workshop CDOs, 2 nights for Business Meeting-only CDOs and other ACDOM members; self-funded observers and accompanying persons reserve their own room at the Hilton special rate.
18th International Conference of the Asian Academy of Preventive Dentistry
We are pleased to offer a special registration rate of USD 200 for CDOs, CDO equivalences, and the ACDOM Organizing Committee to attend ICAAPD 2026 (30 September – 2 October 2026), held at the same venue immediately following the 16th ACDOM Meeting.
AAPD 2026 — Empowering Communities Through Preventive Dentistry
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia · 30 Sep – 2 Oct 2026This special rate covers conference registration only. Please note two important details before registering:
Registration enquiries
Registration for the ACDOM Business Meeting — and, where applicable, observer requests for the SPDI Workshop — runs through the Secretariat. SPDI-enrolled CDOs should wait for the official WHO invitation, but may direct questions to their regional WHO contact below.
Download funding & support plan (PDF)Business Meeting & observer requests
For CDOs attending the Business Meeting only, for other ACDOM members, and for SPDI Workshop observer requests. Registration details and forms are distributed directly by the Secretariat.
acdomofficial@gmail.comSPDI Workshop — South-East Asia
For Chief Dental Officers in the WHO South-East Asia Region with questions on the 100-Day SPDI Workshop ahead of the official invitation.
Dr. Nalika Gunawardenagunawardenan@who.int
SPDI Workshop — Western Pacific
For Chief Dental Officers in the WHO Western Pacific Region with questions on the 100-Day SPDI Workshop ahead of the official invitation.
Dr. Yuriko Haradaharaday@who.int