Murcia, Spain – The College of Dentists of the Region of Murcia held its annual gala on Thursday, February 21, 2026, celebrating the feast day of Saint Apollonia, the patron saint of dentists. The event, held at Santa Apolonia, recognized both retiring dentists and honored the city of Murcia on the occasion of its 1,200th anniversary.
Pedro Caballero, president of the College, expressed his pleasure at the gathering, stating it was a valuable opportunity to “recognize those who, after a long career, retire and obtain their well-deserved rest.” The gala drew a significant number of regional leaders, including Juan José Pedreño, the regional Health Counselor; Francisco Miralles, president of the College of Physicians; Paula Payá, president of the College of Pharmacists; Ester Mainar, president of the College of Opticians-Optometrists; Miguel Massotti, dean of the College of Journalists; Paloma Sobrado, Vice-Rector of Health Sciences at the University of Murcia; José Manuel Rodríguez, president of the NGO Cirugía Solidaria; and Jesús María Cañavate, Director General of Planning, Pharmacy and Health Research.
During the evening, Caballero presented the honorary membership to the city of Murcia, acknowledging the longstanding relationship between the capital and the dental college, where its headquarters are located. Pilar Torres, Councilor for Social Welfare, Family and Health of the Murcia City Council, accepted the distinction, thanking the College for its “essential work in promoting healthy habits” and highlighting the importance of their collaboration in initiatives like the Oral Health Program for schoolchildren.
The College also awarded its Gold Medal to the Chinguetti Foundation, a charitable organization founded in 2002 by Alfonso Torres and Ana Díaz. The foundation focuses on improving healthcare in Mauritania, most notably through the construction and operation of the Fraternity Hospital in the Sahara Desert. Caballero praised the foundation for providing essential medical services to approximately 15,000 patients each month. Torres, accepting the award, emphasized the organization’s mission to provide “dignified medical care and basic resources for survival” to those in need.
Counselor Pedreño congratulated the dentists on their celebration and underscored the “close collaboration and mutual commitment to promote cutting-edge oral health in the Region,” recognizing the daily work of dentists in Murcia.
The gala also included the recognition of four retiring dentists: Carmen Asensi Cros, José Rodríguez Lozano, Antonio Parra López, and Pascual Martínez del Vas. 38 new dentists were welcomed into the College, receiving silver insignias signifying their membership. The new colleagues included Miguel Ángel Abreu Bonnin, Marina Alcaraz Orcajada, Belén Amor Giménez, Ana Aracil Selma, Violeta Azcona García, Guilhem Michel Bianchi, Ignacio Canto Castillo, Juan Cárdenas Soria, Rodrigo Castillo Vigueras, Lorena Sarah Cirillo Sánchez, Luisa Alexandra Cristea, Ignacio Darío Egea Rodríguez, Yousra El Bekhty Chemaou El Fihri, Ali El Yahyaoui El Akorut, Emma García Guirao, Edward Rafael García López, Antonio Marco García Prior, Elena García Sánchez, Elena Guerrero González, Midiala Herrera Companioni, Alexandra Iasmina Munteanu, Joanna Krawcewicz, Andrea López Alcaina, María Dolores López García, María José López López-Egea, Roxana Lorenzo Valentín, Víctor José Majul Pérez, Miguel Martínez Giménez, Carmen Martínez Mínguez, José Antonio Montoya Hurtado, María Munuera Sanz, Adrián Pérez Padrón, Ana Peris Rocamora, Nerea Roca Belmonte, José David Rodríguez Lozano, Ángel Román Maciá, Ali Sahibeddine Faouzi, Leandro Gabriel Sánchez Castillo, Inés Sánchez Martínez, María Sánchez-Fortún Piñero, Elías Sellami Verdú, Sergio Tomás Sukhoshvili, Laura Tora Leones, Lidia Torrecillas Quiles, Francisco José Tortosa Párraga, and Verónica Vicent Albero.
