Restorative and endodontic experts meet in Zurich

Among the speakers was Dr Joerd van der Meer, who specialised in 3-D technology during his time at the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands. He showed what is already possible in the field of digital workflows owing to 3-D printing and CBCT open-source programs. He then took the audience into the futuristic world of endodontic robots, which will be able to automatically perform an entire root canal therapy in future.

On day two, Dr Nicolás Gutiérrez, from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona in Spain, presented skeletal remains of early hominins, such as the famous pre-human “Lucy”, to show that the enamel thickness of the human species has hardly changed during evolution. Consequently, Gutiérrez drew his conclusions as to the importance of enamel in restorative dentistry and encouraged the audience to use enamel-conserving procedures in preparation.

The afternoon session also saw Prof. Thomas Attin, from the Centre of Dental Medicine at the University of Zurich, discuss how population ageing will shape the future of everyday treatment. In his presentation on non-carious cervical lesions, he addressed Class V defects and damage to enamel, the prevalence of which is on the rise owing to increasing longevity of the population. He also conceded that a panacea for abrasion and fracture had not yet been found. Depending on the advanced stage of the lesion, Attin recommended a desensitiser or high-performance composite in conjunction with a reliable adhesive system as a treatment option.

With such diverse and interactive presentations, Jörg Weis, Director of Marketing at COLTENE, said at the conclusion of the event: “The high quality of our products is largely a result of the close cooperation with leading universities, dentists and dental specialists across the entire creative process.”