About the College

Who We Are

The International College of Dentists (ICD) has been Honoring the World’s Leading Dentists Since 1920™ with over 12,000 members (designated as Fellows) in nearly 140 countries. Fellowship in the College is by invitation only and is granted in recognition of an individual dentist’s outstanding professional achievement, meritorious service and dedication to the continued progress of dentistry for the benefit of humankind.

Prior to being recognized as a Fellow of the ICD, the candidate’s qualifications and achievements are evaluated by a series of credential committees in order to insure that he or she is deserving of this honor and will live up to the ICD motto of “Recognizing Service as well as the Opportunity to Serve”. Once initiated, a Fellow in good standing is authorized to use the title “FICD” after his or her name. The world headquarters of the International College of Dentists is virtual and is managed by remote staff members working around the world.

Mission Statement

The International College of Dentists is the Preeminent Global Dental Honor Society recognizing outstanding professional achievement and meritorious service while advocating for Humanitarian and Educational Initiatives.

Motto

Recognizing Opportunity and the Opportunity to Serve

Core Values

The five College Core Values are:

Leadership: Uphold the highest standard of professional competence and personal ethics.
Recognition: Recognize distinguished service to the profession and the public worldwide.
Humanitarianism: Foster measures for the prevention and treatment of oral disease by encouraging and supporting humanitarian projects.
Education: Contribute to the advancement of the profession of dentistry by fostering the growth and diffusion of dental knowledge worldwide.
International Professional Relations: Provide a universal international forum for the cultivation of cordial relations within the profession and to assist in preserving the highest perception of the profession worldwide.

History

The International College of Dentists was conceived at a farewell party for Dr. Louis Ottofy in November of 1920 in Tokyo, Japan. Dr. Ottofy was returning to the United States after practicing dentistry for 23 years in the Philippines and Japan. Dr. Tsurukichi Okumura, of Japan, was in attendance and together with Dr. Ottofy, agreed to form an international organization to study the progress of the dental profession and distribute the information to all countries globally. The details and organization of the future College were discussed over the ensuing years and incorporated in 1928, in Washington, DC.

The College was created for these purposes:
– To recognize ability
– To advance the art and science of dentistry
– To honor meritorious service

A complete history of the College can be found here: