There were record attendances at this year’s Nobel Biocare Symposium, which took place from Friday 9 to Saturday 10 September at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London Kensington.
The eclectic two-day programme encompassed a range of presentations, hands-on workshops and masterclasses presided over by world-class speakers of the highest calibre. Delegates travelled from as far afield as India, Mexico and Australia to participate in the clinical event and network amongst their peers.
Nobel Biocare was delighted and overwhelmed by the demand for places, particularly for the masterclasses, which are a new – and highly successful – addition to the format following feedback from last year’s Symposium.
Large elegant conference spaces were allocated for a fascinating range of implant seminars, which were divided into three parallel programmes: Surgical and Restorative, Laboratory and Practice Team.
Glenn Rhodes, marketing manager for Nobel Biocare, opened the proceedings and chaired the programme. He began by introducing David Thoni, Nobel Biocare managing director for the UK and Ireland, who preceded the Surgical and Restorative talks with an update on the company’s activities.
He described a number of initiatives including the development of an All-on-4TM patient education website to drive business to dentists and announced the launch of three new implants in October 2011: the NobelReplace® Conical Connection, the NobelReplace Platform Shift and NobelActiveTM 3.0.
The first Surgical and Restorative presentation, New Opportunities for Enhancement in the Aesthetic Zone, was given by Dr Eric Van Dooren. He detailed his work on the aesthetic rehabilitation of patients with compromised dentition using a multidisciplinary approach. Dr Van Dooren illustrated his seminar with four case studies, including an example of crown lengthening and connective tissue grafting.
Dr Patrick Palacci gave the next lecture, which was called Soft Tissue Management Around Implants. He used a selection of case studies to explain treatment techniques and demonstrate how to predictably recreate papillae.
He uses NobelClinician for precision diagnostics in his daily practice as well as to optimise implant position placement, particularly for flapless procedures.
NobelActiveTM – Exploring its Unique Features was presented by Dr Blackie Swart. Numerous cases illustrated the distinct features of the NobelActiveTM implant: high initial stability, bone condensing property, redirecting capability, tapered coronal margin, built-in platform shift and a conical prosthetic connection.
The final talk, Dr Paulo Malo’s Total Rehabilitation With the All-on-4TM Concept, was given to the biggest audience of the day. Dr Malo was responsible for developing the All-on-4TM concept: an evidence-based protocol that uses only four implants to support an immediately loaded full-arch prosthesis, providing patients with high aesthetics and immediate function.
The Symposium also included four in-depth Laboratory presentations looking at areas such as new trends, materials, smile design and ceramic restorations. The lectures were hosted by Mr Luc Rutten, Dr Christian Coachman, Mr Michele Temperani and Dr Stefan Holst.
Professor Karima Bapoo-Mohamed, clinical assistant professor at the University of Alberta in Canada, helmed the practice team sessions with her inspirational talk, Oral Implantology and the Team.
Saturday 10 September was devoted to a series of masterclasses that allowed greater interactivity and hands-on learning. These were a huge success, with 80 people alone attending the All-on-4TM session, held by Dr Richard Brookshaw and Mr John Wibberley.
The remaining masterclasses focused on NobelProceraTM; NobelActiveTM; NobelClinicianTM; zygomatic implants (Brånemark System); soft tissue surgery; and ceramics. The speakers were Mr Jo Rebry, Dr Blackie Swart, Dr Chris Lucas, Dr Andrew Dawood, Dr Raj Patel and Dr Mamaly Reshad.
With overwhelmingly positive feedback, the Symposium proved once again to be a prime opportunity for the dental community and industry experts to exchange knowledge and discuss the latest developments for the betterment of patients.
For more information, contact Nobel Biocare on 0208 756 3300, or visit www.nobelbiocare.com.
