Nobel Biocare’s 3rd World Dental Conference Unique in Scope

Nobel Biocare’s third World Conference was held in Las Vegas from 20-24 May 2007. According to company organizers, the conference attracted 10,000 dental professionals from 91 countries and featured the industry’s most innovative solutions in an all new learning environment.

In the dental industry, a conference with 10,000 participants is unique in scale, but what the Nobel Biocare World Conference 2007 offered was truly unique in scope. The meeting demonstrated that it is possible to combine science and education, while providing conference participants a unique environment for networking and enjoyment.

I had the opportunity to attend this meeting and must say I found it intensive, inspiring and a great learning experience.

The numbers from the conference are impressive:

* 340 expert speakers from 34 countries presented dentistry’s most innovative solutions

* 200 hands-on and 20,000 individual training sessions

* 35 live treatment procedures were transmitted via satellite from seven countries (many never before seen by an audience).

INTERACTIVE LEARNING AND SCIENCE

The World Conference 2007 also set new standards in both the way knowledge is conveyed and received, and the depth of the scientific expertise displayed.

Hands-on sessions, and the effective use of state-of-the-art technology, were indicative of the active learning that was offered. As well, televised live surgeries, discussions of patient cases with world-leading experts and challenging debates with audience response (e.g., PFM versus All-Ceramic Crowns) were but a few examples of the exceptional interactive nature of the meeting. All sessions were supported by clinical evidence and scientific reports, which was highly appreciated by the audience.

The presentation of the Maxillofacial Concept, an advanced surgery technique facilitating facial reconstruction using implants, indicated the depth of scientific expertise. While a micro-vascular and bone-graft surgery (presented in a fascinating eight-hour transmission from the Hirslanden clinic in Switzerland), and the presentation of NobelActive(tm), a new implant with self-drilling and self-guiding capability, illustrated Nobel Biocare’s initiative to introduce innovative solutions into the marketplace. From minimally invasive procedures like laminates, solutions such as implant-retained overdentures, all the way to the advanced maxillofacial and micro-vascular treatments, the Conference covered the entire spectrum of what is possible in dentistry today.

Looking at the record number of scientific posters from international researchers (313 total), the Young Speaker’s session, the Scientific Lounge, and the outstanding quality of the research award winners, World Conference 2007 was definitely a scientific meeting at the forefront of dental research.

HOPE FOR THE WORLD’S EDENTULOUS

With over 350,000 dental professionals trained in 2006, Nobel Biocare assumes the position of educator and trainer of the dental industry. Together with its undergraduate partnership program with 20 universities worldwide (two new partnerships were announced during the Conference), Nobel Biocare is effectively creating a paradigm shift in dental education.

In turn, Nobel Biocare’s new vision of “Making you smile” reinforces the company’s position of providing smiles “to the world,” especially to those who need them most. Given there are more than 40 million fully edentulous people in the Americas and Europe, and probably even more in Asia, Nobel Biocare promises that future conferences will bring even more innovation, scientific insight, and hope for a better quality of life for everyone.

As Professor Brnemark himself said, “no one should die with their teeth in a glass.” I believe that is a goal that all of us involved with dentistry should work towards.

RELATED NEWS

RESOURCES