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Dental Tribune Asia Pacific Edition No.11, 2017

10 SCIENCE AND PRACTICE Dental Tribune Asia Pacific Edition | 11/2017 A preventative approach to infection control An interview with Dr Lisa Heitz-Mayfield, Australia By Brendan Day, DTI Periodontist and implant specialist Dr Lisa Heitz-Mayfield is very busy indeed. In addition to maintaining a specialist periodontics practice in West Perth in Australia and serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the Clinical Oral Implants Research journal, Heitz-Mayfield holds several aca- demic positions, including that of adjunct professor at the University of Western Australia and the Uni- versity of Notre Dame Australia. Dental Tribune had the opportu- nity to speak with her about the im- portance of preventative strategies and early diagnosis of peri-implant disease—a topic she recently ad- dressed at the 26th Annual Scientific Meeting of the European Associa- tion for Osseointegration (EAO), held in October in Madrid in Spain. What were some of the key mes- sages of your presentation during the EAO meeting? In brief, my presentation fo- cused on diagnosis and treatment planning for implant procedures in relation to the high prevalence of peri-implantitis. I emphasised the importance of achieving in- fection control prior to implant placement—this involves con- ducting a comprehensive exami- nation of the patient to determine whether there are any problems, such as periodontal disease or any other intraoral infections. I highlighted how, particularly for a periodontal patient, the pa- tient needs to have been fully treated beforehand so that he or she doesn’t have active periodon- tal disease when any implants are placed. The patient should have al- ready gone through the entire process of infection control and should ideally be in a supportive periodontal therapy programme with good compliance and main- tenance before he or she receives an implant. But what is involved in this in- fection control? Firstly, one needs to eliminate any deep periodontal pockets. We have good evidence today that supports the idea that the presence of residual periodon- tal disease is a risk factor for pa- Dr Lisa Heitz-Mayfield presenting in October at the 26th European Association for Osseointegration meeting. “That is the key to prevention: to make sure that the patient has a healthy oral cavity with little plaque and no periodontal disease before one starts.”

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