Endodontic congress speaker spotlight

15 August, 2024 / editorial
Will Peakin

This September, the British Endodontic Society (BES) will be hosting the International Federation of Endodontic Associations (IFEA) World Endodontic Congress (WEC) at the Scottish Events Campus
in Glasgow.

The theme for WEC is ‘Phases & Interfaces’ and although the focus will be endodontics, it will explore the multi-disciplinary approach to patient treatment and exciting new scientific advances which will benefit the patient from childhood, through to adulthood and then as an older adult. The congress will cover a range of topics within the scope of the theme and more broadly in core concepts of endodontics.

Among more than 80 expert speakers from around the world will be Dr Adham Azim, chair of the endodontics department at the University of the Pacific, San Francisco, who will be presenting ‘Through and through defects explained!’.

The WEC offers a diverse and comprehensive educational programme to educate and inspire all who attend

“In my session were going to be talking about through and through lesions,” said Dr Azim. “It’s usually quite complex to manage these cases, so we’re going to present how we can classify the different types of through and through lesions and how we manage each one of them effectively.”

Also speaking is Dr Ariadne Letra, of the University of Pittsburgh, who will be presenting ‘Unravelling the connection between apical periodontitis and systemic health: insights from the host genome’. This will be part of the ‘Host factors, apical periodontitis, and systemic disease: everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask’ lecture series.

“I look forward to seeing everyone at the IFEA World Endodontic Congress in Glasgow,” said Dr Letra. “My colleagues and I will be presenting breakthrough findings on the interconnectedness between endodontic pathosis and systemic disease. Specifically, we will discuss the latest evidence on the role of host genetics in apical periodontitis and shared biological mechanisms with systemic conditions.”

Other speakers include:

Dr Yoshi Terauchi, Professor at Tokyo Medical & Dental University, who will present ‘Why MTA obturation over gutta-percha obturation in nonsurgical retreatment?’

Professor Ove Peters, of the University of Queensland, who will present two sessions; ‘What is optimal endodontic care and how can we achieve it?’, and ‘Addressing the life cycle of teeth: a restorative driven path to endodontic excellence’

Professor Simone Grandini, of the University of Siena, who will be presenting ‘Endodontics & beyond: decoding multimorbidity in root-to-crown treatment planning’.

Professor Matthias Zehnder, of the University of Zürich, on ‘Continuous chelation in endodontic irrigation: discussing the development of root canal irrigation and best practice’.

Under the theme of ‘The Child’, the congress will feature a dental trauma mini-symposium and a dental pulp regeneration mini-symposium. When exploring ‘The Adult’ there will be mini-symposia on vital pulp therapy and management of the deep carious lesion, the Endo-Resto interface and imaging.

For the theme of ‘The Older Adult’, the congress will explore the role of endodontic disease on systemic health. It will also bring together world-renowned speakers on topics such as endodontic microbiology, disinfection in endodontics, instrumentation, root resorption and microsurgery to name but a few.

There is also a pre-congress programme including surgery, trauma, endo-resto, instrumentation, intentional replantation and autogenous transplantation, orofacial pain, and instrument retrieval. Several special seminars and workshops will also be running during the main programme and include the use of CBCT in endodontics.

Another stand-out aspect of the WEC will be the trade exhibition. The BES has a fantastic relationship with the trade, who are offering their support for the event, both by taking part in the exhibition, and as sponsors. Their participation in the WEC demonstrates their unwavering commitment to endodontic excellence, and the importance of the use of high-quality equipment to deliver outstanding clinical outcomes.

Will McLean, Professor of Endodontology at the University of Glasgow, the BES President and Congress Chair, said: “I would like to extend an invitation to all those with an interest in endodontics, no matter
their level of expertise; they will find IFEA WEC a valuable experience.

“No matter whether delegates are just starting out or if they’ve been providing endodontic treatment for years, the WEC offers a diverse and comprehensive educational programme to educate and inspire all who attend and, what’s even better, it is on your doorstep.”