EDITORIAL

Season's greetings and best wishes

Prof NH Wood

BChD, DipOdont(MFP), MDent(OMP), FCD(SA), PhD

The past year has seen a return to some form of social normalcy in our society and communities since the upliftment of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Where many sighed in relief, others struggled to find their footing after the tumultuous phase in our lives. Recovery is a long process; however, I believe that we are all relieved and can guardedly say that the worst is now behind us. We look forward to ending this year peacefully and start afresh in 2023 with new challenges and goals that await us.

One of the functions of the South African Dental Journal is to further the knowledge frontier, and this provides a scientific platform for our researchers and subject experts to present their knowledge and insights to the broader community. The production of scientific knowledge sees a cascade initiated that eventually influences the progression of social equality, improvements in the diagnoses and management of diseases, uplifting community welfare, and even addressing poverty.

Furthering the knowledge frontier is not simply a means to build a curriculum vitae, but a dedicated and sincere effort to improve humankind in this particular way. The efforts to produce and present this knowledge takes great investments in time and other resources, which is then presented to peers for detailed scrutiny and criticism. The scientific method sees us able to sustain our community's ability to contribute to the global pool of knowledge and we should always strive to produce work of the highest quality.

The SADJ is constantly evolving, and we are furthering our efforts to create more exposure and indexing opportunities and subsequently citations for our authors. We aim to provide the latest and most up to date peer-reviewed information to our readership and association members. To this end we encourage our readers and our researchers to provide us with a sustained feedback and information. In this way we can act to improve and grow our journal to achieve more highlights. You can find all the relevant information regarding the SADJ at https:// journals.assaf.org.za/index.php/sadj/index and the office is always ready to assist with any questions. We look forward to receiving your comments and inputs. After all , the creation of new knowledge is preceded by ideas based on existing knowledge.

We have reached the conclusion for the 2022 edition of the South African Dental Journal, and it is with a deep gratitude that we would like to thank all our content contributors and advertisers from all over South Africa and even further abroad. As we sign off for this last issue of 2022, I would like to wish you all the best for this upcoming festive season. Please travel safely if this is in your planned activities, and we look forward to many more engagements in 2023.