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In the 1990s, Dublin was one of the first cities to ever host the Annual Scientific Congress of the EAO. This year marks not only the return of the prestigious dental event, but will also provide an interim window to the developments in dental implantology over the last 18 years. Dental Tribune ONLINE spoke with congress chairman Dr Brian O’Connell, Professor of Restorative Dentistry at Trinity College Dublin’s dental school and hospital, about public awareness of dental implants in Ireland, his expectations for the event, and what attendees will be able to take home from it.
Dental Tribune ONLINE: The EAO congress in Dublin is expected to be as well attended as last year’s congress in Denmark. How has registration been going so far?
Prof. Brian O’Connell: We are very happy with the early registration for the congress, which is similar to recent years. We expect at least 2,000 delegates to come to Dublin, and it is not too late for those who have not yet decided to attend the event.
Of all past host countries, Ireland probably has the smallest dental workforce. Are there any statistics on how many dentists in the country perform implant surgery, and is this small number relevant to the congress whatsoever?
The number of dentists in Ireland providing implant treatment has grown quickly in the past ten years or so. Now several hundred practitioners are involved in implant treatment and many have gained further qualifications in the field. There has always been significant demand for training and learning here, and so attending conferences like EAO is seen as a great opportunity to meet colleagues and see the latest developments. Irish dentists will not be the largest group at EAO but I assure you they will be the most enthusiastic.
This year will be the second time that the EAO Annual Scientific Congress will be held in the Irish capital. Do you remember the first event in 1995, and in what way has the field evolved in the last 18 years?
It was largely due to my colleague David Harris that the EAO conference came to Ireland in 1995, as he was a founding member and is an active contributor to the association. At that stage, implant treatment was provided by a fairly small number of specialists and access for patients was limited. Now implant treatment is available in every part of the country and is provided by a wide range of practitioners. As a result, awareness has really grown among the population—many patients ask about “screw-in teeth”.
This year’s scientific programme focuses primarily on future trends in implantology. What are the most important developments besides digitalization of treatment processes, and in your opinion at what stage is the field with regard to implementing them in daily practice?
Particularly from a prosthodontic point of view, the development of a completely digital workflow is very interesting, but I think it will need to be refined before it is widely applicable and really motivates practitioners to switch over. On the surgical side, there will no doubt be continued developments in tissue engineering, with improved grafting materials and techniques, and further improvements in providing implants in the more challenging clinical situations.
Statistics from the EAO show that almost two in three attendees perform both implant surgery and prosthodontics. Did you consider this when you were developing the programme?
This was very much on our minds and we tried to have a restorative input in each session, rather than treat it as a stand-alone topic. This aspect is often overlooked and so we have included presentations on restorative planning, aesthetics, risks, and complications. I hope that those who are not involved in prosthodontics will also take the opportunity to learn about these aspects. Attendees will learn about the restorative considerations in relation to the various surgical situations.
There is also great interest in aesthetics, according to the statistics. How do you explain this?
This is consistently an area of immense interest to attendees. We know that patients with missing teeth do not actually want implants; they want teeth. And they want the replacements to look completely natural. So practitioners are constantly trying to meet patient expectations for an excellent aesthetic result.
This is often the most challenging part of implant dentistry and so practitioners want to pick up any tips or new techniques they can use in their own practice.
A plenary session on the last day of the congress will be dedicated to implants in an ageing society. Why did you choose this particular subject, and what are the main challenges for clinicians in this regard?
Europe has a generally ageing population, who may have the greatest demand and need for dental implant treatment in the future. Evidence suggests that the majority remain healthy and active for much longer than we may have believed. We need to learn much more about the specific requirements of the older population and be aware of the risks as well. Often assumptions about older people are inaccurate. Although they may less demanding about their needs, they frequently respond well to implant treatment.
What will be the main concepts that delegates can expect to take home from this year’s congress?
We hope that delegates will see an integrated assessment of specific clinical situations, including missing incisors, aesthetic defects, and the edentulous posterior maxilla, that they can directly apply to their own practice. Some very talented clinicians will be sharing their expertise in managing these difficult cases. Attendees will also learn about the latest evidence on risk factors and complications of implant treatment.
New developments in technology will be highlighted, so we will have a glimpse of tomorrow’s practice. Most of all, we hope that delegates will enjoy the interaction with speakers and colleagues, make some new friends and explore our wonderful city.
