Meeting Review: ADA 2017 in Atlanta

Fred Michmershuizen / DTA

Wed. 25 October 2017

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ATLANTA, Ga., USA: ADA 2017 – America’s Dental Meeting — was held Oct. 19 to 23 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. There was plenty to see and do. The annual session of the American Dental Association kept meeting attendees busy with educational offerings, social and networking opportunities, plus an exhibit hall filled with the latest products and services.

During the meeting’s Opening General Session on Thursday morning, the ADA Humanitarian and Distinguished Service Awards were presented, and dental professionals who have been participating in various hurricane relief efforts were recognized. Also on Thursday, Mel Robbins, CNN commentator and author, presented her popular “It Takes 5 Seconds to Change Your Life” talk, as part of ADA’s Women in Dentistry Leadership Series.

On Friday, former National Football League quarterback Peyton Manning shared stories from on and off the field with ADA members, as part of ADA’s Distinguished Speaker Series.

The meeting offered plenty of opportunities for education.

On Friday, courses included “ADA Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Evaluation of Oral Cancer,” “Essential Hearing Protection for Safety, Comfort and Communication in Dental Clinics,” “Periodontal Epistemology: The Perio-Systemic Connection” and Dental Unit Waterline Safety and Safe Dental Care.” Highlights Saturday included “Vaping and Oral Health: What Do We Know About E-Cigarettes?”

Meeting attendees could also check out the Science Institute Stage, where topics ranged from updated guidelines on oral cancer, to dental unit waterlines and more.

All during the meeting in the exhibit hall, many companies showcased new or updated products.

Planmeca was showcasing Planmeca Emerald, a lightweight, ergonomically designed scanner from E4D Technologies that quickly captures intraoral color images in real time. According to the company, Emerald has a compact, slim design that provides a comfortable feel. Dual-function controls allow the clinician single-handed operation of the software. Also at Planmeca, you can learn about CALM (Correction Algorithm for Latent Movement) — a new, proprietary algorithm designed to assist in image capture for children or for those with special needs or elderly patients who are challenged to remain still.

Solvay Dental 360 unveiled Ultaire AKP, a high-performance polymer for removable partial denture frames. It’s a rigid material — not flexible — suitable as a metal replacement and different than the other non-metal materials currently on the market, according to the company. Ultaire AKP was designed to fill the gap between metal RPDs, which can be too rigid and stiff, and other polymer frame materials that can be too flexible, the company said.

ContacEZ offered PrepSure, Crown Prep Guide, a set of innovative crown prep instruments designed to monitor and confirm ideal creation of abutments for crowns and onlays. According the company, PrepSure avoids necessitating metal occlusion, prevents premature crown fractures or perforations, and preserves natural tooth structure. This, in turn, maximizes the longevity of crowns and prevents hypersensitivity after crown seating.

Coltene offered SoloCem, a self-adhesive dual-curing resin cement. According to the company, SoloCem achieves reliable bonding values with no additional bonding required, making it a true one-step process for the clinician. MDP and 4-MET(A) monomers ensure strong bonding values on a range of different materials (ceramic, metal, composite) and for a variety of indications (crowns, bridges, inlays, onlays, endodontic posts and implant abutments), the company said.

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