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 Dear Fellow Alpha Omegans It is a real privilege to be chair of the committee, and to put together what I hope you will agree is an interesting programme for our next academic year.
I have been very concerned by the attitude of the National Union of Teachers in this country regarding Israeli academics. As I’m sure you are aware, they tried to ban Israeli academics from being invited to the UK, and even though this has been overturned, there is still a strong undercurrent of bitterness towards Israel. I have therefore decided that the theme for this year’s academic programme should be to invite the “top drawer” of Israeli academia in dentistry, and ask them to present to us what they are most frequently asked to present in Israel and internationally.
I make no apology for the fact that in Israel, implantology is at the very forefront of all complicated treatment planning. If it seems that our programme this year is a little top heavy with implant related topics, I’m afraid that that is the way dentistry is in Israel.
We will start the year with a question and answer session regarding implants in practice, and we have circulated a form requesting questions you want answered. There are many questions already in our “boiling pot”, and I have asked Dr Ady Palti (President of the International Congress of Oral Implantology) to join me on the podium to answer these questions. I think this will be an interesting interactive evening, where hopefully the audience will enjoy their involvement.
The year continues in November, when I have invited Dr Ophir Fromovich to talk about new innovations in implant dentistry. Ophir is famous for his extremely successful implant system called Alpha Bio, which he has now sold to Nobel Biocare for a large fortune. He has also sold them his latest invention, Nobel Active, which is a very useful implant in the aesthetic zone. I hope that during this evening, we will also organise a viewing of Dental Master: a truly wonderful piece of Israeli software on patient education.
January 2009 sees Professor Adam Stabholz, Dean of Hadassah, present to us on the use of lasers in dentistry, and especially their use in endodontics. The head of Prosthodontics at Hadassah, Prof Ervin Weiss, will continue the series of lectures by telling us about improving success in complex implant supported rehabilitation in February.
March brings one of the most sought-after speakers on the international circuit, Dr Ziv Mazor. He is a periodontist, who will tell us how to create more bone in the posterior maxilla using the sinus graft procedure. Once again, in Israel bone augmentation procedures are extremely popular, as patients will not accept having to wear a denture. In his presentation, Dr Mazor will describe the use of Piezosurgery as well as platelet-rich fibrin, which refine the surgical and healing processes.
The Dean of Tel Aviv, Professor Haim Tal, will talk to us in April about how to grow bone when periodontal techniques fail.
Finally, we will have a wonderful Annenberg day, where two other stars of the international lecture circuit will give us a multidisciplinary day on surgery and prosthodontics. Dr Devorah Schwartz-Arad will be the surgeon of the team, and Professor Nitzan Bichacho will be the prosthodontist.
The committee have decided to change the format of the Annenberg for this year, and have it as the first day of the two-day conference on Clinical Innovations. Obviously, the members of Alpha Omega will be able to opt for just the one day if that is their wish, and there will be strictly kosher food. The first day (our Annenberg) will be solely our speakers, and the conference will be held at the Royal College of Physicians, Regents Park.
I wish you all a wonderful year, and please support this year’s programme as all our speakers have agreed to take no honorarium, and to donate all the proceeds to our Alpha Omega Charitable Thrust.
Fraternally,
Dr Edwin L C Scher Chairperson 2008/2009
Registered Specialist in Oral Surgery
Registered Specialist in Prosthodontics Clinical Professor Department of Periodontology and Implantology
Temple University, Philadelphia |
