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08 Dental Tribune Asia Pacific Edition | 12/2016 TRENDS & APPLICATIONS Nothing compares to ROOTS By DTI ROOTS SUMMITs have been held since the late 1990s. Over the past two decades, Stephen Jones, Drs. David E. Jaramillo and Freddy Belliard have been part of the meeting that regularly attracts en- dodontists from all over the world. At the 2016 event, which was or- ganized in close collaboration with Dental Tribune International, the publisher sat down with the three endodontic experts to learn more about the mission of the ROOTS community. Dental Tribune International: How did each of you become involved in the ROOTS SUMMIT? Stephen Jones: Late in 1999, I received a promotion in endo- dontic product management as a sales representative at SybronEndo. However, I had no knowledge of rotary instruments. When I was researching for information on the Internet, I came across the ROOTS group. I became a fan right away, because it brought my knowledge of the procedures up to speed very quickly. I soon noticed that there is nothing comparable to the ROOTS community, espe- cially with regards to an open dis- cussion among specialists from many different areas. Dr. Freddy Belliard: In 1999, I had just graduated from my endo- dontic Masters’ program in Mex- ico City and I was looking for an endodontic forum on the Internet. Althoughitwasonlyasmallgroup at the time, this unique forum, to which a couple of friends from the Dominican Republic drew my at- tention, convinced me right away. Dr. David E. Jaramillo: It started several years ago when Freddy invited me to participate in this community. I have been a very ac- tive member ever since. What has changed since then? Belliard: In the early phases of ROOTS, not many people had full-time Internet access. After we decided to take the community to Facebook in 2012—a move that some people resisted at first—the group became much bigger, how- ever, it became easier to commu- nicate thanks to the high quantity of visual information. Jones: In addition to an expo- nential increase in memberships from about 1,000 to 23,000 as of today, the move to Facebook im- proved the tone of the discussions, because people had the opportu- nity to see each other’s faces and literally communicate at eye level. Jaramillo: The technology that is available to endodontist has developed rapidly from the time of the first meetings to today. Over the whole period, partici- pants have always been eager to learn more about the latest developments and the ROOTS SUMMIT has always recognized new treatment options and tech- niques in its program, which has always combined scientific evi- dence with clinical tips for dental practices. What are the main characteristics of the group? Jones: The ROOTS community is a group of individuals who have a sincere and passionate interest in the profession of endodontics and are constantly searching for knowledge and the improve- ment of the practice for better outcomes. Moreover, the ROOTS SUMMIT is completely independ- ent. Although a number of compa- nies have supported our meet- ings, there is no commercial or political influence from any man- ufacturer or society whatsoever. ROOTS is purely about learning en- dodontics—a practitioners’ forum for practitioners. The content we provide is only shaped by mem- bers of the group itself and is not guided from any external party. Belliard: Even though it might sound a little bit like a cliché, for me, ROOTS is a family. The over 23,000 members engage at differ- ent levels, with some who are very active in sharing their cases while others are just observing. How- ever, it is a unique platform for education among specialists. Jaramillo: ROOTS people are very enthusiastic and aim to im- prove their own, and the skills of others, in endodontics for the benefit of the patient. One of its unique features is its interna- tional diversity. Despite this, al- most everybody knows each other. That distinguishes it from other endodontic meetings. Has the 2016 ROOTS SUMMIT met your expectations? Jones: We chose Dubai specifi- cally for the fact that daily, there are more than 200 direct flights from various cities around the globe to this location. The number of countries that we achieved to draw this year is overwhelming. Hundreds of participants, includ- ing some of the key opinion lead- ers of the endodontic profession, from over 45 countries registered for the event. Thus, this year’s meeting has completely met our expectations. Belliard: It met our expecta- tions not only in the quantity and quality of people who came, but also from the organizational point of view. Dental Tribune International was a massive help in managing the logistics and pro- motions related to the meeting. Without its organizational team we would not have drawn such a variety of people. Jaramillo: With regards to the scientific program of this year’s program, we received very posi- tive feedback from the partici- pants, which shows that we picked the right speakers to take the audi- ence through the different topics, step-by-step. When will the next ROOTS SUMMIT take place? Jones: Although we haven’t agreed on a definite date yet, the next meeting will be held in 2018 in Germany’s capital, Berlin. Thank you very much for the inter- view. © Claudia Duschek/DTI From left: Scientific chairman Dr. David E. Jaramillo, co-chairman Dr. Freddy Belliard and co-chairman Stephen Jones at the 2016 ROOTS SUMMIT in Dubai. © Claudia Duschek/DTI From left: Carlos Aznar Portoles, Roberto Cristescu, Nicola Grande, Ana Arias, David E. Jaramillo, Freddy Belliard, Ahmed Abdel Rahman Hashem, Stephen Jones, Gary Glassman, Sergio Rosler, Gianluca Plotino, Piotr Wujec, Walter Vargas Obando, Imran Cassim and Bojidar Kafelov. Almost 20 international companies exhibited their latest endodontic products. © Claudia Duschek/DTI