Quo Vadis Implant Dentistry? – Many ways lead to Rome
NewsPosted by: Dental Design 28th June 2023
The Oral Reconstruction (OR) Global Symposium themed “Quo Vadis Implant Dentistry”, held from May 18 to 20, 2023 in Rome was visited by around 1’000 participants from 42 countries. 55 top international speakers lectured under the auspices of the Oral Reconstruction Foundation (OR Foundation), headed by the Foundation President and Congress Chair, Dr. Luca Cordaro, MD, DDS, PhD, Head Department of Periodontics and Prosthodontics, Policlinico Umberto I, Eastman Dental Hospital, Rome.
High-tech meets history
The Auditorium Parco della Musica, where the congress was held, is an impressive venue reminiscent of Roman architecture and full of history, with its museums and steep stony stairways – not the typical congress venue. However, it enchanted its participants and stood in contrast to the high-tech treatment methods and cutting-edge research topics presented by some of the world’s leading experts. Not surprisingly, attendees rewarded the organizers with full ranks during all three days of the event. Even the pre-symposium entitled ‘technology helps the clinic’ with eight scientific lectures and five workshops attracted more than 500 participants.
Technology driven by the human touch
In a world increasingly driven by technology, what links great dental practitioners and will continue to be a defining quality of great dentists in the future is the ability to establish caring human connections. In this spirit, Dr. Luca Cordaro and the Past President Prof. Mariano Sanz welcomed all participants very warmly and made everybody feel at home in Rome during the entire congress. The congress was rounded off by a lively networking opportunity, attended by more than 700 participants, at Villa Miani high above the roofs of Rome with wonderful views.
The Oral Reconstruction Foundation is a great example of an organisation where specialists come together to exchange best practices and form connections that last a lifetime. Just to name one anecdote: when all flights to Rome were cancelled on Friday due to a strike at the airport, one speaker drove all the way from Germany by car – 15 hours in total – to make it in time to give his lecture.
The main programme on Friday and Saturday was divided into eight sessions. Topics discussed included different options for hard and soft tissue augmentation, including Guided Bone Regeneration with blocks, shells, or computer-assisted bone augmentation. The speakers examined questions related to bone and soft tissue healing around implants and reviewed options in the treatment of gingival recession. Another focus was on the use of autologous bone or allogeneic, xenogeneic, or synthetic bone graft substitutes, membranes, and soft tissue matrices. There were heated discussions of the question of when the right time for implant placement is and what the advantages of digitization are.
The Future of implant dentistry in the hands of promising youngsters
Two programme items were dedicated to young and upcoming specialists. These researchers represent the next generation and they are the future of a thriving network, the OR Foundation.
At the Science Slam on Friday, six young researchers presented their posters during a two-minute oral pitch. The three best presentations were selected by the audience, and the overall winner was Dr. Rodolfo Reda, (Università Sapienza, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial sciences, Rome.
The Oral Reconstruction Foundation Research Award on Saturday was won by Dr. Florian Kernen, Junior Professor for Virtual Implantology, Medical Faculty, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Germany. The Award Committee with Prof. Fernando Guerra, Dr. Ana Torres and João Pitta chose Florian Kernen for his outstanding research on “In vivo precision of intraoral scanners”. Florian Kernen is a member of the Team of Prof. Katja Nelson, moderator of the opening session and speaker at the pre-symposium.
The symposium was supported by BioHorizons Camlog, founding sponsor of the OR Foundation.
