In areas of crisis around the world, people tend to be concerned about safety, hunger and things other than oral health. But good oral health is essential to good overall health and well-being. That is why more than 100 oral health leaders from academia and industry gathered at Temple recently to pledge their support for the Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders. This global effort, which hopes to model itself after Doctors Without Borders, has been spearheaded by Temple's Kornberg School of Dentistry Dean Amid Ismail. Ismail, who was elected the alliance's chairman, says the first mission will be modest: to build dialogue.