Three FKG UGM students—Chiquita Dhana Chintya, Khairunnisa, and Andhika Fachrie Wiratama—brought honor to FKG UGM by participating in the USK Scientific Dental Competition (USCDC) poster competition at Universitas Syiah Kuala, Aceh. (Andhika did not attend USK due to other academic commitments.)
The USCDC Poster Competition is an annual scientific poster competition organized by the Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Syiah Kuala. This year’s theme focused on stunting: “Nourish to Flourish: Stop Stunting, Start Thriving.” USCDC, part of the USK Scientific Dental Competition, is a national-level academic event now in its seventh year, serving as a platform for dental students across Indonesia to contribute creative, informative, and data-driven scientific works.
Chikita explained that the competition process began with online registration, followed by a preliminary round where works were uploaded to the Instagram page @uscdc_creatives. Posters were evaluated based on a combination of public voting (number of likes) and substantive assessment criteria such as originality, thematic relevance, uniqueness, and clarity of message. Teams with the highest scores advanced to the offline final round held on Sunday, 9 November 2025, in Banda Aceh, where participants presented their posters before a jury panel. Winners were announced on the same day, making the competition schedule quite intensive.
Preparation began with forming a team composition and clear role distribution. In developing the poster, the team gathered accurate scientific data, including stunting prevalence in Indonesia, risk factors, causes, impacts, and prevention strategies. Once they advanced to the final round, preparation intensified. Despite demanding academic schedules—including skills labs, practicums, and comprehensive exams—they continued to allocate time for presentation practice, material refinement, and travel arrangements to Banda Aceh, while also maintaining mental focus for the competition.
The first step involved discussing role allocation based on individual strengths: one member focused on content collection and organization, another handled visuals and presentation design, while the third coordinated workflow, scheduling, and integration of all sections. This division ensured efficiency and avoided overlap. Communication was key throughout the process, with regular discussions conducted both in person and via messaging. Differences of opinion occasionally arose but were resolved through mutual listening and finding the most workable solutions.
As deadlines approached, work intensity increased. Joint revisions, integration of all sections, and ensuring clarity and neatness became priorities. Despite fatigue, mutual support helped the team complete the work on time.
Through this process, the team learned that synergy is not just about dividing tasks, but about complementing each other, mutual respect, and working toward a shared goal. With good communication and trust, even a small team can achieve optimal results.
The biggest challenges involved distance, time, and cost. Traveling from Yogyakarta to Banda Aceh required significant logistical preparation. At the same time, academic activities were dense, requiring careful scheduling to avoid disrupting coursework. Due to funding limitations, only two of the three team members were able to attend and present offline in Banda Aceh. Nevertheless, their enthusiasm remained strong, and they strived to perform their best as team representatives.
Competition quality was also high, with strong participants from various universities, making the event highly competitive.
USCDC poster competition participants came from various universities in Indonesia, including 13 teams from Universitas Sumatera Utara, 10 teams from Universitas Syiah Kuala, 1 team from Universitas Hasanuddin, 1 team from Universitas Andalas, and 1 team from Universitas Gadjah Mada. Each university sent strong teams with creative and scientific works, resulting in intense competition.
In this year’s competition, both 1st and 2nd place were won by teams from Universitas Sumatera Utara, reflecting the strong quality of their submissions.
“The jury consisted of academics and dental health practitioners from Universitas Syiah Kuala, as well as experts related to stunting issues. This year’s judges included Dr. drg. Diana Setya Ningsih, M.Si; drg. Sri Rezeki, Sp.PM; and Sri Fitriyani, S.Si., M.Si., Ph.D. They assessed submissions based on scientific quality, creativity, and participants’ ability to present the material,” said Annisa.
The supervising lecturer for this competition was drg. Putri Kusuma Wardani M., M.Kes., Sp.KGA(K), who provided guidance during final preparation. Her support greatly helped the team produce a more refined and focused poster and presentation.
(Andri Wicaksono)
