News & media

2024 Convention and Exhibition presenters

Dr Ben Buchanan

Enhance Your Cosmetic Dentistry Practice!

Join Dr. Ben Buchanan, an expert clinical psychologist, for a game-changing presentation on screening for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) in cosmetic dentistry. Gain invaluable insights into predicting patient dissatisfaction, learn practical skills in managing patient expectations, and identifying key warning signs that a patient might experience dissatisfaction with a procedure.

Why attend?

• Enhance patient care
• Mitigate risk of complaints
• Stay ahead of AHPRA guidelines

Don’t miss this must-attend session for cutting-edge knowledge and tools!

Dr Martin Gale

Artificial intelligence (AI) is going to disrupt many aspects of life, and dentistry is no exception. The rate of recent development of AI is astounding and will fundamentally alter the way dentistry is provided to the community. The technology is complex and changing rapidly so it is sometimes difficult to really understand what is just hype, what is actually helpful and what could potentially be a hazard to dentists, patients and providers. Dr Martin Gale will present an account of the underlying AI technology and terminology, various emerging dental applications, what he thinks may be practically helpful, and what the future may bring.

Dr Isabel Holmes

“I am thrilled to present at this year's ADAVB event on one of dentistry's most sought-after treatments.

Tooth whitening attracts significant consumer interest – and to maintain professional trust we must ensure the most effective products are used, and, the most efficient procedures.

Cosmetic dentistry is as important as traditional dentistry – it’s another channel to improve smiles, meet expectations and demonstrate our integrity.”

Dr Sigal Jacobson

Join Dr Sigal Jacobson for an enlightening session on composite veneers, one of the most challenging procedures in aesthetic dentistry. Discover how to achieve flawless restorations with high success rates. Learn to distinguish between porcelain and composite veneers, match composite shades accurately, avoid common failures, and apply expert tips and tricks. With nearly three decades of experience and numerous innovations like Uveneer and Paladex, Dr Jacobson offers invaluable insights. This lecture promises practical knowledge you can implement immediately. Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your aesthetic dentistry skills!

Mr Michael Levy

The presentation will explore key legal considerations that dentists should be aware of at each stage of their dental career.

We will discuss:

• Key legal documents that dentists will need at various stages of their career and what issues these documents should address.
• Practical tips when starting a new practice.
• How to set up a new practice with other dentists and what to consider when joining a practice.
• How to manage retirement or selling a practice.
• Tips to avoiding disputes with co-owners.

Attendees will take away practical measures that will allow them to better identify and manage legal risks throughout their careers.

Dr Aniko Ball

User Guide for Dental Work Postures

Worldwide research shows an alarming incidence of occupational chronic pain in dentistry, resulting in early retirement or reduced work hours for many and a career change for some.

Ergonomic research and design have focused on the work environment, such as the equipment and the surgery layout - the Outer Ergonomics, overlooking the importance of clinicians’ and dental assistants’ efficiency in posture and movement - the Inner Ergonomics.

HOW clinicians and dental assistants sit on a stool and bend over the dental chair is as important as the stool and chair design. The WAY instruments or the suction are held is as important as the shape and the weight of the instrument or the suction hose and tip.

Dental schools don’t provide a ‘User Guide’ on how to bend over patients and what to do with shoulders and arms to ensure career longevity. An understanding of how the body was designed to function, especially when work postures are held for prolonged periods in the clinic, is essential.

This ADAVB Conference session will provide a ‘User Guide’ for the spine as well as shoulders and arms for the whole clinical team. Learning about basic biomechanical design principles will orient you towards reducing the risk of occupational chronic pain.

User Guide for the spine

Once clinicians and dental assistants know that all the intervertebral joints below the second cervical vertebra (just under ear level) are gliding joints, which are not designed for prolonged bending, they will start becoming aware of common harmful work postures that involve bending forward or leaning to the side. The intervertebral discs are distorted when the spine is bent and twisted, resulting in cumulative trauma and a high risk of developing a pain syndrome.

Unless clinicians are using refractive loupes or an operating microscope, they cannot sit upright and see into patients’ mouths without spinal trauma.

As there is only a 10-degree freedom to look down at the joint where the head sits on top of the spine, the atlanto-occipital joint (at ear level), clinicians working with non-refractive loupes or without loupes, first need to pivot their torso slightly forward at the hip joints, without bending the spine. And only then look down by rotating their head downwards slightly at the top joint.

Dental assistants need to stand up at times to avoid twisting and bending their spine.

User Guide for shoulders and arms

Most clinicians work with a raised non-dominant shoulder and elbow as they hold the mouth mirror, and dental assistants as they hold the suction and triplex.

The muscles moving the shoulders and arms are designed for a short contraction. Prolonged use of movement muscles to raise the shoulder, or the arm against gravity when hovering holding the mouth mirror without a finger rest, results in cumulative trauma. Clinicans need a finger rest when holding the mirror and avoid raising their shoulder or elbow.

Dental assistants can reduce the risk of cumulative trauma by switching hands, using curved suction tips and learning to release raised shoulders.

My message to the clinical team is:

Take care of yourself, you are your most precious instrument.

Implant maintenance: An expert panel discussion

If there is anything the implant literature has taught us, it’s that dental implants require ongoing care and maintenance. How we plan, execute and configure our implants and implant restorations and our subsequent monitoring and interventions, all have an impact on the long term success of our treatment.

Find out what the expert panel will be discussing at our upcoming Convention and Exhibition.

Facilitator: Dr Kunal Pandya

Panel: Dr Susan Wise, Dr Felix Sim, Dr Helen Arabatzis, Dr Meloshini Naicker and Dr Praveen Nathaniel

Brief.

Dental implants offer exciting treatment options for our patients and have a well documented track record of success. But, there is no denying that in clinical practice and supported in the literature, is the need for immaculate planning and execution and for ongoing maintenance, if successful outcomes are desired. Our expert panel will share their real life experiences and in depth knowledge as they answer clinically oriented questions during the session.

Explain the topic of your presentation.

In this quick fire session, our expert panel will be asked a series of questions based on clinically relevant scenarios, relating to maintaining health around dental implants. It will cover topics from planning and maintenance to managing complications.

What is the main thing that the audience will take away from your presentation?

Answers to their burning questions around implant maintenance.

Why should attendees pick your session to attend?

It will be informative and entertaining (who doesn’t like seeing experts sweating on stage).