“Since our training sessions, we always convinced ourselves that we would be champions. We have come this far; whatever happens, we will do our best and leave the rest to God,” said Fatima Islamia.
Three students from the Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FKG UGM)—Fatima Islamia, Anadia Nuril Aqiela, and Rafida Kemala Dewi—under the supervision of Prof. drg. Tetiana Haniastuti, M.Kes., Ph.D., successfully achieved first place at the 12th Airlangga Dentistry Scientific Meeting 2025. The championship was won in the scientific paper category, specifically secondary research in the form of a systematic review. This international dentistry-related competition was attended by participants from several Southeast Asian countries and Japan.
Their preparation began in August 2025. Mia, Anadia, and Rafida started by drafting the abstract, then awaited the announcement in October, after which they had only two weeks to prepare the full paper manuscript and presentation slides . The competition proved quite challenging for them because they came from different academic stages—fifth-semester students and co-assistants —each with their own busy schedules. As a result, they often gathered for practice sessions starting at 6:00 p.m. and sometimes continuing until midnight. “The ups and downs of skills lab and co-assistants life became shared moments where we could vent and understand each other,” said Mia, accompanied by her laughter.
Competitors in this event came from universities in Malaysia, Thailand, and Japan, as well as several universities in Indonesia, such as Universitas Padjadjaran, Universitas Airlangga, Universitas Brawijaya, Universitas Lambung Mangkurat, and Universitas Hasanuddin.
Mia, Anadia, and Rafida presented a theme titled “The Combination of Stem Cells and Bioactive Scaffolds as Alternative Materials in Regenerative Endodontics.”
They shared a unique experience during the presentation session. “Honestly, we initially felt discouraged by the judges’ questions. We were too focused on questions related to the content of the paper and other advanced aspects and forgot about the basic concepts. It turned out that those basic concepts were exactly what the judges asked. However, the judges praised our work, saying that it was the best paper, and to this day I still wonder why it was considered the best", said Rafida, followed by laughter.
In addition to receiving certificates, they also received coaching funds as part of the award. “Of course, some of it will be saved, and the rest will be used for future self-development through competitions and other activities,” said Anadia.
Author: Andri Wicaksono | Photo: Doc. of Fatima Islamia
