A World of Wonders!
Frances Szymczak takes a look at the World Symposium on Private Dental Technology and Denturism
At last the waiting was over. It was 9am on Friday 11th May and at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, many delegates at the World Symposium had just one thing on their minds – the chance to enjoy a glass of Bucks Fizz and some bacon butties at the VIP Hour. Well, you have to get your priorities right and let’s face it, we had a packed couple of days ahead of us!
Unlike the Dental Technology Show, which has evolved into a bigger and wider-ranging event each time it is held, the World
Symposium on Private Dental Technology and Denturism was something of an unknown quantity from the DLA’s point of view. The targeted subject matter of the Symposium – private prosthetics and clinical dental technology – meant that it would have a more specialist appeal than DTS and we were keen to find out the levels of interest. In the event, it exceeded our expectations, with around 900 delegates passing through the doors of the Ricoh Arena over the two days of the show.
Although Friday was the first day for most visitors, the Symposium kicked off in real style on the previous Wednesday evening with the World Symposium Dinner, held in the historic surroundings of St Mary’s Guildhall in Coventry. Guests were welcomed by the Lord Mayor and there were speeches from Jim Mackie (DLA), Andrew McLean (CDTA) and Paul Levasseur (IFD). Unfortunately this left Darryl Muff from Ivoclar Vivadent, the sponsors of the Dinner, practically lost for words as all the previous speakers had covered the points he had planned to mention! The meal itself was delicious – and very British – with Roast Sirloin of Beef followed by Whisky & Orange bread & butter pudding. No wonder we needed a day’s rest before the next big Symposium event, the Opening Reception sponsored by Schottlander, on Thursday evening.
One of the big highlights of this event was the recognition of several international colleagues for their service and dedication to the profession of Denturism. The Brotherhood of Sterkenburgers honours Denturists and non-Denturists who have provided exceptional support and dedication to the profession. Carlo Zanon of Canada was honoured for his exceptional skills as an educator to Denturists in many countries. Former editor of the Journal of Canadian Denturism, Carlo is also a Denturist with a busy practice in Grimsby, Ontario.
Stanislav Skoda is not a Denturist but has worked tirelessly to mentor the Denturists of the Slovak Republic in their quest for recognition. The President of the Slovak Republic Denturist Association, Stefan Masik, was also honoured for his dedication to their efforts while pursuing his own extensive education in the profession. From Australia, Graham Key was honoured as an educator and contributor to the knowledge that accomplishment of professional education is the only way to attain and maintain recognition as Denturists.
Paul Levasseur from the United States received the highest honour of the International Federation of Denturists, the Pieter Brouwer Award of Merit – awarded to individual members of the IFD who have shown exceptional personal and professional dedication to advancing the profession throughout the world. The Award has only previously been made to three other recipients to date: Chris Allen (United Kingdom), Professor Michael Vakalis (Canada) and Austin Carbone (United States).
The George Connolly Award for Canadian Denturist of the Year was presented by David Hicks, President of the Denturist Association of Canada, to William Lloy, President of the Nova Scotia Denturist Association. Bill has been instrumental in
bringing partial denture legislation to Nova Scotia and has served on the Executive of the Denturist Association of Canada. In his personal life, he is in the Army Reserves, assisting in training soldiers to understand the different cultures they will meet when they serve overseas, most recently in Afghanistan.
Exhilarating exhibition
The VIP Hour was a fantastic way to start the day and meet up with some familiar faces and new contacts, but soon it was down to business as the exhibition hall doors opened at 10.00 am and the show officially got under way.
The strong educational aspect of the Symposium, with regular seminars throughout the day, meant that there was at least some room to breathe in the exhibition hall. There was a great buzz of enthusiasm around the place, particularly in the breaks between seminars when things got very busy. Some technicians had even brought shopping lists with them – now that’s what I call organisation!
One thing you could not fail to notice was the number of people wearing bright red jackets, all of whom hailed from Canada
and had managed to obtain sponsorship for their trips from leading companies. “I think they chose that colour to match our eyes,” one hungover exhibitor said blearily to his companion.
Even those technicians who would never think of themselves as the last of the big spenders were able to spend a few hours
“window shopping” around the hall, before taking refuge in one of the Ricoh Arena’s restaurants and bars to network with fellow CDTs and technicians.
Those who fancied being a little more active, after sitting in the seminars or strolling around the exhibition, were given a new way to stretch their legs courtesy of the Football Simulator. During the day any individual could take on the electronic goalie, and then there was a team event from 5-7pm. The eventual champion who claimed the coveted World Denture Cup was Alan Petrie, who won fair and square despite the inevitable mutterings of DLA bias, honest! Believe us, we were as surprised as anyone. Who would have thought that a Scot would ever be associated with winning the World Cup!
Other competitions and prize draws included:
- The CPD Passport Prize Draw for delegates who collected 20 or more CPD stamps as they looked around the exhibition – congratulations to these lucky winners who receive iPods:
> Stephen Judge, Designer Dentition, UK
> Chris Pine, DenturTech, NZ - Daytona 500 Prize for visitors on the all-inclusive VIP Delegate package – the winner of 2 four-day tickets to the 50th
Daytona 500 race was announced as:
> David Hicks, Compusmiles Inc., Canada.
Things got quite hectic on the organisers’ stands where teams from the DLA, IFD and CDTA got together to take on all comers, chatting to delegates on wide-ranging topics regarding the industry, advising on the latest legislation, and more! Each of the three organisations was also very pleased to welcome a number of new members who joined at the event.
All in all, the exhibition was a great success as far as the traders were concerned, several commenting that business was very brisk.
Superb seminar programme
For many delegates, the seminar programme proved to be the main reason for attending the Symposium, as it offered a rare
opportunity to see so many clinical dental technology experts in one place. The highlights on Friday included John
Besford talking about Patient-Centred Prosthetics. This packed session was so popular that it was extended to Saturday
morning, when over 30 keen delegates turned up despite the early start of 8am.
John Besford showed how adopting patient-centric dental laboratory techniques and philosophy not only gives patients more
aesthetic and better functioning dentures, but also makes the team feel better at the same time. His seminar mixed plenty of practical tips, hints and humour as well as a serious philosophical approach: as he says, “Prosthetics can make such a difference to peoples’ lives… to be in a job where you feel you’re doing so much good is just amazing”.
Another well-attended session was the Introduction to Denturism and Dentures through the Ages by Tony Forster and Chris Allen. The aim of the presentation was to give delegates a better understanding of the exciting and long history of dentures as well as an appreciation of the philosophy of denturism and denturists’ socio/legal and ethical responsibilities. There was also an overview of the major steps taken in denture construction from the first attempts using animal and human teeth up to the discovery of modern day acrylics.
Andrew Snelling examined Mastering the Aesthetics of Removable Prosthetics, taking seminar delegates on a journey into the complex and amazing world of removable aesthetics. By the end of the session, technicians were given the knowledge to balance function and form, with new insights into tooth morphology.
Saturday saw the Symposium’s most unusual seminar, Same Day Dentures with Professor Fraser McCord. Featuring a live patient demonstration to prove what can be achieved in such a short space of time, this two-part session drew a massive audience of around 160 delegates. Luckily there were cameras on hand and a live video feed to a projection screen so everybody was able to see the various stages of the treatment in close-up detail. The patient seemed to take it all in her stride – Prof McCord performed with his usual banter and ably assisted by DLA Chairman Jim Mackie quickly put her
at her ease.
Running head to head with this was The DNA of an Implant Laboratory with John Wibberley, which also managed to pull in a
considerable audience despite the competition. His presentation discussed technical implications and laboratory administration of restorative implantology, and outlined solutions that could help delegates avoid problems that might occur as a result of poor treatment planning and case management of the final restorations. In the afternoon Sleep Apnoea and Anti-Snoring Devices kept attendees alert, as experienced Denturist Carlo Zanon gave a stimulating talk that examined the increased incidence of breathing problems, snoring and sleep apnoea, plus the effect they have on patients whose lives become compromised because of their lack of sleep. He then demonstrated the features of a number of oral appliances and explained how CDTs can implement these in their practices.
Finally the whole seminar programme was rounded off by a very slick and professional talk by Paul Levasseur, President of the International Federation of Denturists, on the Globalisation of Denturism. He highlighted the impact of the Denturism movement across the globe, examined the current political and human state of Denturism, and showed the IFD’s active role for the future of Denturism and Clinical Dental Technology.
Rounding up…
By the end of the Symposium, I felt it was clear to see that the markets for clinical dental technology and prosthetic dentistry in general have grown in confidence and there is a bright future ahead. To all of you who took the time out to come along and support this one-off UK event – thank you. Also, a very big thank you to all the traders who spent so much time and effort displaying all the latest technology, materials, teeth and digital systems. And last but not least, special thanks to our major sponsors Heraeus, Nobel Biocare, Ivoclar Vivadent, Skillbond and Schottlander, silver sponsor Vita and bronze sponsor Myerson… without whom this event would not have been such a huge success!
See www.denturism2007.com for pictures of the event!
