Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

March 26-April 1, 201214 Event Review United Kingdom Edition14 W ith the enormous success of the Den- tistry Show 2012 now behind us, many delegates are looking back at what was a fan- tastic event. With an extensive selection of exhibitions, semi- nars, lectures and workshops, practitioners were provided with all the support and insight they could possibly need and the atmosphere was truly buzz- ing! Among the many recognis- able names speaking at this year’s event was Chief Dental Officer Barry Cockcroft, with his talk “The Changing Face of Dentistry”. His lecture encom- passed a broad range of topics ranging from the government’s relationship with dentistry through to oral health and the future of the NHS. In a well-re- ceived speech he outlined the coalition government’s three main commitments to dentistry in the UK of improving access, developing a new contract and improving oral health, (although as Barry explained, this commitment would be far more complex than merely “providing more services” or “investing money”). But he did give delegates reason to be op- timistic! Noting that although there has been an increase in com- plaints regarding cosmetic dentistry, Barry made it clear that there are far more posi- tives to be taken from UK dentistry. He explained that the NHS is certainly not a “dead horse” just yet, and that there is a lot to be said for the government’s strong com- mitment to the oral health of the nation. During the 2012 Future Dentist conference, there was also an update delivered by the GDC, which was hosted by GDC Chairman Kevin O’Brien. The topics covered were the roles of the GDC, their strategy for looking ahead, the chal- lenges that face the GDC as an organisation, and finally, the future of the GDC and the fu- ture of UK dental governance. Among the many work- shops held at this year’s Den- tistry Show, the Aesthetic Den- tist conference was an area that definitely delivered a great response! Dr Jason Smithson gave the conference an edge thanks to his presentation on exploring strategies for restor- ing structurally compromised posterior teeth. He used a num- ber of videos and case stud- ies, and took the opportunity to ‘cherry pick’ a selection of particularly interesting areas, discussing the Peripheral Rim Theory, (where he compared the surrounding enamel of a tooth to a tin can!), and he even found time to talk about volu- metric polymerization contrac- tion of photo cured, and light cured composite resin! Dr Richard Charon also spoke at the conference and encouraged the use of inhala- tion sedation in practice in an effort to put those anxious pa- tients at ease to help achieve optimum treatment outcomes. He screened a number of vid- eos and written testimonials from satisfied patients, as well as videos of patients undergo- ing treatment. Dr Charon also described the differences between fear, anxiety and phobia, and ex- plained that the patient’s prob- lem needs to be identified be- fore deciding the best way of managing their treatment. As he explained, Dr Charon as- sesses patients’ level of fear by simply talking to them, but he suggested others might wish to use the Modified Dental Anxi- ety Scale to give a final figure that indicates how scared the patient really is. Among the most highly an- ticipated lectures hosted over the course of the event was that held by Dr Didier Dietschi. Talking to a packed conference room, Dr Dietschi addressed the subject of “Conservative restoration of aesthetics and function in patients with severe tooth wear”, and provided nu- merous case examples of how his unique conservative ap- proach can provide positive cosmetic outcomes for patients with tooth wear. One of the key features of Dr Dietschi’s approach is his respect for what he calls, “bio- aesthetics”. This involves pay- ing particular attention to both biology and bio-mechanics. With his opinion that biology and bio-mechanics are both in- credibly important and should be considered at the same level as aesthetics in the clinician’s mind, Dr Dietschi was keen to express that he always thinks twice before taking a bur to prepare teeth! One of the six different con- ference streams was the Nurs- ing Network, which brought together information cover- ing core CPD subjects rang- ing from special care and im- plants right through to oral hygiene. Among the many re- spected speakers taking to the stage was Mabel Slater, who to a packed conference room All the fun of the show Dental Tribune looks back at this year’s Dentistry Show Delegates in action at the Dentistry Show 2012 ‘With an extensive selection of exhibitions, seminars, lectures and workshops, practi- tioners were provided with all the support and insight they could possibly need ’ The live theatre was a great success One of the packed lecture halls