TAMPA, Fla., USA: The emphasis in the scientific program for the Academy of Osseointegration’s 28th Annual Meeting in Tampa, Fla., from March 7 to 9, will be on achieving quality and leveraging the advantage conferred by the interdisciplinary team approach. The annual meeting program will focus on the future with the theme, “Moving Forward: Evidence, Experience, Excellence.”

The opening symposium on Thursday, March 7, features some of the biggest names in implant dentistry.

Leading off will be researcher/clinician Lyndon F. Cooper, DDS, PhD, Chapel Hill, N.C., on the topic, “Translating Evidence Into Treatment Predictability: What Evidence Do We Have? What Do We Need?”

Cooper is Stallings Distinguished Professor of the University of North Carolina Department of Prosthodontics and a member of the department of biochemistry and biophysics in the UNC School of Medicine. He is director of the Bone Biology and Implant Therapy Laboratory.

Cooper’s presentation will examine the current status of dental implant therapy and attempt to interrogate the levels of treatment predictability that exist for these different therapies. His current clinical interests focus on the development of cell based tissue engineering for clinical bone formation and the immediate loading of dental implants.

Other opening symposium topics and speakers are:

• “Practical and Predictable Surgical Approaches in the Esthetic Zone: Multiple Challenges,” by Daniel Buser, DDS, DMD, of Bern, Switzerland. Buser will present surgical approaches in the esthetic zone developed at the University of Bern, which offer successful outcomes with high predictability.
• “The Dental Implant: What Are the ‘Right’ Implants for Today’s Indications? Surfaces, Connections, and Flexibility,” by Clark M. Stanford, DDS, PhD, of Iowa City, Iowa. His presentation will show how the predictability of the process of tooth replacement with dental implants is becoming enhanced through the applications of new technologies expanding on our long-established protocols for implant therapy.
• “Implant Dentistry: The Interdisciplinary Advantage,” by Richard D. Roblee, DDS, MS, orthodontist from Fayetteville, Ark; Edward P. Allen, DDS, PhD, periodontist from Dallas; and Robert R. Winter, DDS, prosthodontist from Scottsdale, Ariz. Their presentation will focus on utilizing an interdisciplinary approach to maximize comprehensive results in implant dentistry.

The program retains many very popular features, beginning with the Corporate Forums Thursday morning. This year’s participants are BioHorizons, BIOMET 3i, DENTSPLY Implants, Geistlich Biomaterials, Hiossen, Millennium Dental Technologies, MIS, Nobel Biocare, Osteogenics, Osteohealth, Straumann USA and Zimmer Dental.

Poster presentations will be introduced Thursday afternoon, just before the welcome reception held in the exhibit area. The popular, intimate round-table clinics and limited-attendance lectures with leading experts will be Friday morning. Oral abstract research presentations will be also be presented Friday morning, and clinical innovations presentations will be Friday afternoon, preceding the president’s reception to be held at the Florida Aquarium.

The Allied Staff Program and the Laboratory Technician Program will be held Saturday. The popular “Lunch & Learn Sessions” return Saturday at noon.

Saturday’s Closing Symposium addresses the topic, “Where Are We Today and What Does the Future Hold?” Speakers will address esthetic parameters of tooth replacement, the role of team in implant dentistry, peri-implant tissue management and the evolving role of radiology in improving predictability.

More speakers and topics include:

• Urs C. Belser, DMD, of the University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland, “Contemporary Implant-Assisted Options for Patients with High Esthetic Demands: Where Are We Today and Where Will We Be Tomorrow?” Belser will discuss the rationale for an early placement/early loading concept for replacement of extracted teeth.
• David A. Garber, DMD, Henry Salama, DMD, and Maurice A. Salama, DMD, of Atlanta, on “What Was, What Is and What Will Be: The Evolving Role of Team in Implant Dentistry.” Their discussion will focus on a defined algorithm for the interdisciplinary team and will cover the diagnosis of deficiencies and the varied treatment options in detail.
• Joseph Y.K. Kan, DDS, MS, of Loma Linda, Calif., on “Peri-Implant Tissues in the Esthetic Zone: What Do We Really Know and What Can We Realistically Achieve?” Focusing on current implant treatment philosophies and methodologies, Kan will cover diagnosis and treatment planning, surgical, prosthetic management of soft and hard tissue for optimal anterior implant esthetics.
• William C. Scarfe, DDS, BDS, MS, of Louisville, Ky., on “The Evolving Role of Radiology in Improving Treatment Predictability in Implant Therapy.” Scarfe’s presentation will provide a closer look at how CBCT imaging will provide the 3-D framework for implant therapy totally within the digital domain, thereby improving treatment predictability.

Friday morning’s program features the highly successful parallel surgical and restorative tracks, annual meeting organizers said. Speakers will include Drs. Craig Misch, Sarasota, Fla.; Robert Marx, Miami; Paul Fugazzotto, Milton, Mass.; Eduardo Lorenzana, San Antonio, Texas; Dennis Shanelec, Santa Barbara, Calif.; Hideaki Katsuyama, Yokohama, Japan; Thomas Wilson, Dallas; Brody Hildebrand, Dallas; Ronald Jung, Zurich, Switzerland; Hans-Peter Weber, Boston; Stephen Parel, Dallas; German Gallucci, Boston; Mario Roccuzzo, Torino, Italy; and J. Robert Kelly, Farmington, Conn.

The program was created by the 2013 Annual Meeting Committee, chaired by Dr. Dean Morton, Louisville, Ky.

(Source: Academy of Osseointegration)