For dental hygienists and therapists, implant patients pose a unique challenge for disease prevention. A lack of undergraduate training and education around dental implants means that many practitioners have minimal knowledge on how to manage and maintain implant patients. Inadequate awareness can increase the risk of peri-implantitis, magnifying the likelihood of implant failure and leading to further diseases in the oral cavity.
To support practitioners in the battle for implant care, the ADI Team Congress 2025 has assembled a variety of reputable speakers as part of the Hygienists and Therapists Programme on May 2.
Oral prophylaxis is essential to dental therapist Victoria Griffiths, who places the emphasis on prevention over intervention. To do this, practitioners must be experienced in the field of dental implants, harnessing a broad knowledge and skill set. Victoria’s talk at the ADI Team Congress, ‘A-Z of Dental Implant Maintenance’, will provide a comprehensive building block for attendees.
She commented, “The lecture will arm practitioners with dental implant knowledge in managing and maintaining conventional and non-conventional implants. This will include instrument selection, the basic structure and components of dental implants, the role of professional care and patient compliance, and the long-term success of dental implants, as well as a brief dip into peri-implant diseases.
“I hope that attendees of the lecture will be equipped with the basics and can apply this in their daily workflows. I also want to highlight that one course is never enough – other sessions on this subject will always be needed to improve confidence, approach more difficult patients, and spot the signs of peri-implant disease in a timely manner. The ADI Team Congress is therefore a great place to see world-class speakers and gain valuable knowledge and a fresh perspective across all areas of dental implantology.”
Victoria Sampson, highly regarded for her work in salivary diagnostics, is leading another talk, entitled ‘Saliva Testing in Implants – Can We Predict the Failure and Success of Implants?’
Identifying a fascinating future where saliva can improve diagnostics, Victoria said, “The early detection of failing implants and the maintenance of them long-term is a huge challenge for practitioners. Often the issue is seen too late, at which point the destruction is irreversible. The absence of proprioception around an implant makes it even more challenging for patients to detect compared to their natural teeth. So, the talk will address the research into how we can detect implants at-risk of failure before the damage has occurred at a biomolecular level. This can either be through salivary diagnostics or chairside tests looking at peri-implant crevicular fluid (PICF). I hope this talk sheds light on the new advancements in early diagnostics using saliva and preventing peri-implantitis.”
For Graham Stokes, chair of the Medical Protection Society, another area of interest is occlusion, which is often overlooked yet must be considered to ensure the longevity of an implant. His talk, ‘Occlusion in Dentistry: How Precise is Precise and What’s it all About?’ will illuminate its importance. Graham added, “The delivery of dental implants requires a better understanding of occlusion; how a patient’s bite affects everyday life. We must look at the occlusion in the planning process as the impacts are vital. Having a day-to-day knowledge of occlusion and understanding how implants impact the entire mouth are essential. Attendees of the talk will learn, among other things, about the use of bite guards, how to use a semi-adjustable articulator, and how to review the occlusion long-term post-operatively. I am delighted to attend and look forward to meeting peers and colleagues at this excellent event.”
For fellow speaker Fazeela Khan-Osborne, principal at The One to One Dental Clinic, the ADI Team Congress represents a calendar high point. She said, “The ADI Team Congress is by far the most educational and informative implant gathering of the year, with its great social events making wonderful opportunities to meet friends and fellow professionals in one place – I have been a member for decades!”
Fazeela will close the Hygienists and Therapists Programme with an unmissable talk on how the dental clinician and the team can assist in referring for dental implants, and what criteria is used to achieve a gold standard approach.
For more information visit www.adi.org.uk/events/adi_congresses