Challenge Overview
IFED International Challenge 2025/2026
A groundbreaking competition in esthetic dentistry
IFED International Challenge 2025/2026
In the fall of 2023, the International Federation of Esthetic Dentistry (IFED) started to host an unprecedented event: the IFED World Challenge. Drawing inspiration from tournament-style competitions, this unique event brought together member societies and academies from around the globe to compete in the field of Esthetic Dentistry.
And now, for the second time IFED will organize this impressive and exciting event culminating in a grand finale during the next IFED world congress in Seoul on 14th of November 2026.
The winner of this challenge will be determined during the following IFED World Congress and will receive the DAVID KLAFF IFED AWARD.
Concept and Background
Each participating academy will field five contestants, all being or under 40 years of age, and an advisory team captain to represent them in this sporting competition. Out of these players, for each match two players have to be chosen by the team captain to present their cases in an online competition. The challenge, initially proposed by the Italian Academy of Esthetic Dentistry and the late IFED Secretary-General Dr. David Klaff from London, will progress through elimination rounds, culminating in a grand finale during the next IFED world congress in Seoul on 14th of November 2026. Following Dr. Klaff's passing, the event was postponed by a year, but now it's set to make its much-anticipated debut. The winner of the challenge will receive the Dr.David Klaff IFED Award.
Competition Format and Rules
- Eligibility: Contestants must be under 40 years of age and members of an IFED-affiliated academy.
- Team Composition: Each team consists of five players, out of these 2 active players have to be chosen for each match, and a team captain.
- Match Topic: Each match has a predefined topic for the cases to be presented about.
- Match Duration: Each match lasts about one hour, with 4 cases presentations per night. Each player presents for 7 minutes, followed by a 5-minute discussion and voting session.
- Presentation Format: Presentations must be in 16:9 format, suitable for Zoom displays. There's no limit on the number of slides, but they must fit within the allotted time.
- Judging Criteria: Judges will score 10 points to the following 5 topics each:
- quality of documentation
- quality, style, clearness of presentation
- rationale and treatment plan
- complexity of the case, originality, novelity
- take home message/outcome.
- Score: The maximum score is 50 points per judge, plus a malus of 10 points based on bad timing.
- Judges: Each participating academy will field 2 judges for matches being not related to their academy`s matches. For each match 3 of the group of judges from neutral countries as 'Master Clinicians' will serve as judges.
- Advancement: Winners of each round progress to the next, culminating in a final challenge at the IFED World Congress 2026 in Seoul.
- Final: The participating academies must send at least the 2 players to Seoul to take part at the final in presence. The accomodation costs will be covered, regarding the flight remuneration sponsoring is accepted.
Click below to access the official IFED World Challenge rulebook for detailed information about the competition's structure, scoring, and more.
IFED IC 2025-2026
Participants Board
Group Europe A
A: IAED | Italian Academy of Esthetic Dentistry
B: CADE | Czech Academy of Dental Esthetics
C: HAED | Hellenic Academy of Esthetic Dentistry
Group Europe B
A: DGÄZ | German Academy of Esthetic Dentistry
C: BAAD | British Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry
Group Asia C
A: CAED | Chinese Academy of Esthetic Dentistry
B: KAED | Korean Academy of Esthetic Dentistry
C: JAED | Japan Academy of Esthetic Dentistry
D: SJCD | Society of Japan Clinical Dentistry
Meet the Judges
Team Battles
Watch the Team Battles On-Demand
Relive our previous Team Battles at your convenience! All recordings are hosted by our partner, Quintessence Publishing. Visit the IFED partner area to browse past sessions and access all upcoming recordings shortly after they take place.
Instant Access to Recent Sessions:
Recording: 2026-04-16 Recording: 2026-04-15
Recording: 2026-03-19 Recording: 2026-03-18
Recording: 2026-02-12 Recording: 2026-02-05
Access Instructions:
- Returning Participants: If you registered for the live event, the video should start automatically.
- New Viewers: If you did not register previously, simply provide your name and email address after clicking the link to gain immediate access.
GROUP ROUND OVERVIEW
Europe A | ||||
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266 Pts. | Thursday, 2026-02-05 | 266 Pts. | ||
vs | ||||
Riccardo Perpetuini: 128 Pts. | Jan Šelle: 139 Pts. | |||
Tommaso Ghedini: 138 Pts. | Vojtěch Doležel: 127 Pts. | |||
243 Pts. | Wednesday, 2026-03-18 | 237 Pts. | ||
vs | ||||
Pompeo di Geronimo: 117 Pts. | Alexandra Papanikolaou: 121 Pts. | |||
Tommaso Ghedini: 126 Pts. | Zinonas Evagorou: 116 Pts. | |||
| 238 Pts. | Thursday, 2026-04-15 | 229 Pts. | ||
vs | ||||
Jan Stibal: 120 Pts. | Konstantina Angelara: 123 Pts. | |||
Jan Hulvert: 118 Pts. | Dimitrios Spagopoulos: 106 Pts. | |||
Europe B | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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258 Pts. | Thursday, 2026-02-05 | 257 Pts. | ||
vs | SEPES | Spanish Society of Prosthodontics and Esthetic Dentistry | |||
Clemens Paffenholz: 127 Pts. | Monica Bonfanti: 134 Pts. | |||
Christian Leonhardt: 131 Pts. | German Pardo: 123 Pts. | |||
256 Pts. | Wednesday, 2026-03-18 | 210 Pts. | ||
vs | ||||
Clemens Pfaffenholz: 133 Pts. | Dipesh Parmar: 106 Pts. | |||
Christian Leonhardt: 123 Pts. | Alexandru Cucu: 104 Pts. | |||
245 Pts. | Wednesday, 2026-04-15 | 252 Pts. | ||
SEPES | Spanish Society of Prosthodontics and Esthetic Dentistry | vs | |||
Daniel Diaz: 112 Pts. | Payman Sobhani: 121 Pts. | |||
Ricardo Palacios: 133 Pts. | Billal Arshad: 131 Pts. | |||
Asia C | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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232 Pts. | Thursday, 2026-02-12 | 241 Pts. | ||
vs | ||||
Zhouyu Ding: 113 Pts. | Jin-Young Park: 121 Pts. | |||
Zhuxiu Tang: 119 Pts. | Sung-Jin Kim: 120 Pts. | |||
225 Pts. | Thursday, 2026-02-12 | 239 Pts. | ||
vs | ||||
Takahiko Sakai: 96 Pts. | Taro Ogiwara: 115 Pts. | |||
Shuto Kikuchi: 129 Pts. | Hidenobu Awaya: 124 Pts. | |||
| 251 Pts. | Thursday, 2026-03-19 | 239 Pts. | ||
vs | ||||
Xia Yan: 124 Pts. | Takahide Ibusuki: 126 Pts. | |||
Mingxu Sun: 127 Pts. | Junichi Shinagawa: 113 Pts. | |||
253 Pts. | Thursday, 2026-03-19 | 258 Pts. | ||
vs | ||||
Eun-Hyuk Lee: 125 Pts. | Taro Ogiwara: 124 Pts. | |||
Donghyun Kim: 128 Pts. | Koichi Inuki: 134 Pts. | |||
241 Pts. | Thursday, 2026-04-16 | 242 Pts. | ||
vs | ||||
Zhuxiu Tang: 121 Pts. | Mitsuro Ikehata: 120 Pts. | |||
Jiaqi Li: 120 Pts. | Hajime Hirata: 122 Pts. | |||
| 215 Pts. | Thursday, 2026-04-16 | 195 Pts. | ||
vs | ||||
Sung-Jin Kim: 107 Pts. | Dr. Yuto Otsu: 104 Pts. | |||
Ji Hyun Park: 108 Pts. | Takahiko Sakai: 91 Pts. | |||
The IFED acknowledges the support of Henry Schein for the Dr. David Klaff Award.
IN LOVING MEMORY
DAVID KLAFF 1943 - 2022
It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our esteemed Executive Committee Secretary and cherished friend, David Klaff. David's departure has left a deep void in the International Federation of Esthetic Dentistry (IFED) family.
David Klaff was not just a member of our committee; he was a visionary leader and a mentor to many. His contributions to the field and our organization were immense and transformative. David's legacy of excellence and dedication will continue to inspire us.
David will forever be remembered for his kindness, wisdom, and unwavering commitment to our community. He will be deeply missed, but his spirit and contributions will continue to guide us in our ongoing endeavors.
David Klaff IFED Award
In honor of his remarkable life and enduring impact, we are proud to introduce the David Klaff IFED Award. This newly established award, created in his name and memory, celebrates excellence and innovation in esthetic dentistry, values that David fervently championed.
