What to expect
The Wessex Branch Study day will cover two important topics - the morning lectures will look at the challenge of whether to replace lost teeth and the afternoon lectures will address the final demise of dental amalgam.
Despite improvements in the nation’s oral health, patients, especially those from the “heavy metal” age cohorts, still lose teeth. On listening to self-styled “gurus”, it might seem that every lost tooth must be replaced, often by a dental implant. The morning presentation from Dr Neil Wilson will therefore examine the pros and cons for replacing a lost tooth, using all the tools in a prosthodontist’s or GDP’s armamentarium and will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of, for example, the shortened dental arch, bridges (conventional/fixed and resin retained) and dental implants. And, of course, removable prostheses!
In the afternoon, Prof Trevor Burke will discuss the pressing issue of the phase-out of amalgam. Amalgam’s days have been numbered since the Minamata Agreement, signed by 143 countries in 2013. It was widely thought that the date for a final phasing out of amalgam would be 2030, but late last year the EU published a draft document, which has since been ratified, which “sets rules that put the EU firmly on the track to becoming the first mercury-free economy” by:
- Introducing a total phase-out of the use of dental amalgam from 1 January 2025 in light of viable mercury-free alternatives, thereby reducing human exposure and environmental burden
- Prohibiting the manufacture and export of dental amalgam from the EU from 1 January 2025.
As a result, supply chains will be disrupted and cost of amalgam will, almost certainly, rise significantly because it will have to be imported from countries such as India and Mexico. This presentation will therefore trace the demise of dental amalgam and discuss what, in EU speak, are the “viable alternatives”, including conventional and bulk fill resin composites, a novel self-adhesive resin composite and the latest GIC variants, the glass hybrids.
Timings
09:00 Registration and refreshments – tea/coffee on arrival
09:30 To replace or not to replace. That is the question! - Neil Wilson
10:45 Refreshment break
11:00 To replace or not to replace. That is the question! - Neil Wilson
12:15-12:30 Branch AGM (for BDA members only)
12:15 Lunch
13:00 Is there an actual amalgam replacement? That is the question! - Trevor Burke
14:15 Refreshment break
14:30 Is there an actual amalgam replacement? That is the question! - Trevor Burke
15:45 Networking
16:00 End of event
Learning objectives
Morning session - Neil Wilson
- Be aware of reasons why lost teeth should be replaced, or not
- Know the clinical indications for the various types of bridgework and their potential for success
- Be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of the shortened dental arch concept
- Know the clinical situations where a dental implant is appropriate, and their potential for success.
Afternoon session - Trevor Burke
- Be aware of why dental amalgam’s days are numbered
- Know the most recent developments in resin composite materials for loadbearing situations in posterior teeth and their cost comparison with dental amalgam
- Be aware of the development and clinical performance of recently-developed GIC materials suitable for loadbearing situations in posterior teeth, and their cost comparison with dental amalgam.
Development outcome
C
