The Oral Reconstruction (OR) Global Symposium themed 'Quo Vadis Implant Dentistry', held from May 18 to 20, 2023, in Rome, was visited by around 1000 participants from 42 countries. Fifty-five top international speakers lectured under the auspices of the Oral Reconstruction Foundation (OR Foundation), headed by the foundation president and congress chair, Dr. Luca Cordaro, head department of periodontics and prosthodontics, Policlinico Umberto I, Eastman Dental Hospital, Rome.
High-tech meets history
The Auditorium Parco della Musica, where the congress was held, is an impressive venue reminiscent of Roman architecture and full of history, with its museums and steep stony stairways – not the typical congress venue. However, it enchanted its participants and stood in contrast to the high-tech treatment methods and cutting-edge research topics presented by some of the world's leading experts. Not surprisingly, attendees rewarded the organisers with full ranks during all three days of the event. Even the pre-symposium entitled ‘Technology helps the clinic’ with eight scientific lectures and five workshops, attracted more than 500 participants.
Technology driven by the human touch
In a world increasingly driven by technology, what links great dental practitioners and will continue to be a defining quality of great dentists in the future is the ability to establish caring human connections. In this spirit, Luca and the past president Professor Mariano Sanz welcomed all participants very warmly and made everybody feel at home in Rome during the entire congress. The congress was rounded off by a lively networking opportunity, attended by more than 700 participants, at Villa Miani, high above the roofs of Rome with wonderful views.
The Oral Reconstruction Foundation is a great example of an organisation where specialists come together to exchange best practices and form connections that last a lifetime. Just to name one anecdote: when all flights to Rome were cancelled on Friday due to a strike at the airport, one speaker drove all the way from Germany by car – 15 hours in total – to make it in time to give his lecture
The main program was divided into eight sessions. Topics discussed included different hard and soft tissue augmentation options, including Guided Bone Regeneration with blocks, shells, or computer-assisted bone augmentation. The speakers examined questions related to bone and soft tissue healing around implants and reviewed options in the treatment of gingival recession.
Another focus was on the use of autologous bone or allogeneic, xenogeneic, or synthetic bone graft substitutes, membranes, and soft tissue matrices. There were heated discussions of the question of when the right time for implant placement is and what the advantages of digitisation are.
The future of implant dentistry is in the hands of promising youngsters
Two program items were dedicated to young and upcoming specialists. These researchers represent the next generation and are the future of a thriving network.
At the Science Slam on Friday, six young researchers presented their posters during a two-minute oral pitch. The three best presentations were selected by the audience, and the overall winner was Rodolfo Reda from the Università Sapienza’s Department of Oral and Maxillofacial sciences in Rome.
The Oral Reconstruction Foundation Research Award was won by Florian Kernen, a junior professor for virtual implantology at the Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg in Germany. The Award Committee, with Professor Fernando Guerra, Ana Torres and João Pitta chose Florian Kernen for his outstanding research on ‘In vivo precision of intraoral scanners’.