CHICAGO, July 26, 2012 -- Washington, DC is the site for the annual scientific meeting of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, Oct. 3 – 6, 2012. This year, as befits a venue in the nation’s capital a month before the Presidential election, the main podium programs will include separate debates on 10 different topics in implant dentistry.
“We organized the meeting a little differently from the past by moving away from the traditional lecture-after-lecture format in our main podium sessions,” said AAID President James L. Bush, DDS. “It should be one of the liveliest and provocative AAID meetings ever as our speakers will debate alternative treatment options in their presentations.”
Leading experts will each have 30 minutes to present their arguments, followed by a moderated interchange of responses. Session attendees will be able to vote their preferences electronically following each session.
The debate topics are:
- Implant Dimensions: Long vs. Short
- Aesthetics: Ceramics vs. Gingiva
- Treatment Planning: Bioengineering vs. Design Engineering
- Treatment Options: Comprehensive vs. Conformative
- Grafting: Plain and Simple vs. Bells and Whistles
- Placement: Guided Surgery vs. Free-hand Skilled Surgeries
- Implant Soft Tissue Esthetics: Biometrics vs. Biomimetics
- Block Grafts: Autogenous vs. Allogenic
- Vertical Augmentation: Vascularized Osteotomies vs. GBR
- Prosthetics: Glass Ceramics vs. Metal Ceramics
In addition to the debates, the AAID meeting program includes live implant surgeries, according to Scientific Program Chair Shankar Iyer, DDS, MDS, as well as a global symposium featuring expert speakers from the United Kingdom, Spain, Japan, South Korea and other countries. “Dentists who attend the AAID meeting will leave with new ideas they can implement in their practices right away,” said Iyer.
Meeting Chairman John Minichetti, DMD, added that a research symposium will cover the latest scientific discoveries related to implant dentistry and there 15 different hands-on workshops will be offered. The allied staff program offers a wide range of topics, including medical insurance coding for implant procedures, hand-on training in implant components, impressions and temporaries and legal issues.
"Our staff members will enjoy the opportunity to learn more about the clinical and administrative issues they deal with every day and they'll also gain valuable experience from viewing the live surgeries,” Minichetti said.