Vol. 77 No. 01 (2022): The South African Dental Journal

SADJ - Your Fountain of Knowledge
Fountains and springs are a symbol of new hope, vitality, and life. For this reason it was decided to features springs and fountains on the cover pages of the SADJ and use them as an analogy for dentistry and dental education. The first edition of 2022 features one of the world’s most iconic and well-known water features, The Fontana di Trevi or Trevi Fountain in Quirinale, Italy. The name is derived from the word Trivium, as it stands at the intersection of three streets. The water will be used to signify knowledge. At the Trevi fountain, it is in plentiful supply and spills over freely to anyone who makes the effort to visit and take a sip. Drinking it will immediately refresh and energise the body and the mind. However, thirst is never sated and as such, visitors will need to constantly seek out new and fresh water supplies, which they may sometimes drink at short and regular intervals, or gulp down in volumes, depending on their thirst. Those who never imbibe, will soon become fatigued dehydrated and will perish. The Trivium or intersection is symbolic of a meeting of minds. One cannot forever be taking from the fountain without adding back to the pool. The waters may be topped up with a wealth of knowledge coming from various sources, such as research and publications, presentations, discussions, reporting on cases and experiences, and teaching. At the Trevi fountain people add wealth by throwing coins into the water. The legend is that if a coin is cast in, the person will be sure to have further visits to the fountain, as well as safe journeys. Sharing wealth (knowledge) with others also has a beautiful ripple effect. The money is collected each night and given to an Italian charity called Caritas which supports a supermarket that gives
rechargeable cards to the needy to help them purchase groceries. We hope that our sharing may also be collected and spread amongst those with a hunger for mental nourishment, growth and education