BSSPD Annual Conference 2012
The 2012 conference was the BSSPD's inaugural conference as the British Society of Prosthodontics and was held in the Liverpool Hilton Hotel under the presidency of Mr Chris Butterworth. It was also our largest conference in recent years with a total of 215 conference delegates attending overall. We were privileged to have the local Merseyside foundation dentists attending as well as a large cohort of non-member delegates in what was a truly groundbreaking event.
The 2012 conference was the BSSPD's inaugural conference as the British Society of Prosthodontics and was held in the Liverpool Hilton Hotel under the presidency of Mr Chris Butterworth. It was also our largest conference in recent years with a total of 215 conference delegates attending overall. We were privileged to have the local Merseyside foundation dentists attending as well as a large cohort of non-member delegates in what was a truly groundbreaking event.
The theme of the meeting was "Complex problems - innovative solutions" and this was remarkably expounded by a fantastic line-up of internationally recognised speakers.
Prof Dale Howes was the keynote speaker and impressed the audience with two lectures in maxillofacial prosthodontics where he presented protocols for the management of the compromised maxilla including the use of zygomatic and other angled implants. He presented a whole range of complex cases and really demonstrated the power of computerized planning as well as the use of stereolithographic model surgery and preparation prior to entering the operating theatre.
Dr Michael Norton presented a well referenced lecture on the use of immediate implant placement and loading in the aesthetic zone. He emphasized that we are not carpenters trying to achieve immense primary implant stability but clinicians dealing with a biological system. He discussed the use of ISQ when making the decision as to whether implants should be loaded immediately and presented some beautifully executed cases showing what can be achieved in this regard.
Dr Norbert Enkling from the University of Bern in Switzerland discussed the use of precision attachments on teeth as a valuable means of rehabilitating the partially edentate patient either with or without the use of additional supportive implants. The quality of the work presented was evident to all with a strong evidence base to back up the continued use of attachments in selected patients.
The poster competitions attracted 38 posters in total and illustrated a range of contributions across the specialty of prosthodontics. Delegates were able to vote for their favorite poster and this contributed to the innovation of the conference and supported the decisions of the professional judging panel.
The Monday session was completed by Professor Iain Pretty whose presentation on forensic dentistry was a tour de force. He covered a vast amount of material, some of it pretty gruesome, whilst holding the audience spellbound. He emphasized the importance of denture marking in helping to identify deceased individuals as well as the use of forensic dental examination and the ability to identify individuals by the dental implants which they have had inserted in life.
The first day of the conference was brought to a successful conclusion with an excellent conference dinner at the Merseyside Maritime Museum with the opportunity to view the recently opened Titanic Exhibition.
Tuesday morning saw four excellent presentations for the Schottlander Oral presentation award. Each presentation outlined the treatment of a complex prosthodontic patient and the standard achieved by all of the short-listed candidates was very high. The prize was awarded to Dr Gareth Brock for his presentation of a mid-facial oncology patient with a combined oral and facial defect rehabilitated with zygomatic implant retained prostheses.
In parallel, delegates attended two workshops presented by our international speakers. Professor Dale Howes and his colleague Dr Greg Boyes-Varley ran a session on craniofacial implant rehabilitation whilst Dr Norbert Enkling and his colleague Mr Bernard Gussiberg presented a session on the use of precision attachments.
The conference was brought to an excellent conclusion by Prof Daniel Edelhoff who delivered a superb lecture on the use of CAD-CAM generated dental restorations. He ably demonstrated the technological advances in this area as well as highlighting how newer techniques required less tooth preparation and were able to conserve remaining tooth tissue in worn cases.
At the end of the 2-day conference, we were delighted to be able to present a cheque for £1000 to the Blind Veterans UK charity which was received on their behalf by Craig Lundberg.
The presidency was then handed to Dr Janice Ellis who takes the reigns of the BSSPD in it's 60th year.
