One World, One Prosthodontics

Millennium Point Birmingham, 24 - 25 March 2023

The British Society of Prosthodontics celebrated its Platinum Jubilee with a successful conference on March 24 and 25, 2023, at the Millennium Point in Birmingham. The conference's theme was "One World, One Prosthodontics", and this conference showcased BSSPD to the world! The event was attended by over 260 attendees from the UK and worldwide from The Netherlands, USA, Canada, India, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, Israel, Qatar, Switzerland, and Saudi Arabia.

Day 1:
After my welcome address, the conference was inaugurated by the traditional Indian lamp-lighting ceremony. The lighting of the lamp removes darkness and symbolises abundance, prosperity and knowledge. A traditional oil lamp has a further spiritual significance. The oil in the lamp represents our negative tendencies and the wick, the ego. When lit by spiritual knowledge, the negative trends get slowly exhausted, and the ego, too, perishes. Seven wicks were placed in the lamp to symbolise the 70 years of BSSPD. The lighting of these seven wicks fell to seven individuals from around the world to illustrate the theme of the conference: One World, One Prosthodontics! In Indian culture, the Elder is given respect, and our Elder in BSSPD on the day was Dr Richard Welfare, who lit the first wick. Next to light in order were Dr Theresa Hofstede from the US representing the American continent, Dr Rangarajan from India representing the Asian continent, Dr Susanne Scherrer from Switzerland representing Europe, Dr Dinesh Rokaya from Thailand representing Southeast Asia and Australia, Dr In-Sung Yeo from South Korea representing the Pacific region and I, represented the remaining world and BSSPD.

The conference featured a wide range of topics covering all aspects of prosthodontics, from basic principles to advanced techniques. The agenda on the first day included subjects relating to dental ceramics; the evidence base in removable prosthesis fabrication; Occlusion as related to fixed and removable prosthodontics, and the rise in digital technologies in maxillofacial prosthodontics – both intraoral and facial prosthetics. For our graduate students and trainees, there was the opportunity to present their work in poster format. This year we had 46 poster submissions which was a record. These were displayed on the Platform site for the delegates to view.

Prof Janice Ellis moderated the morning session. She introduced our first speaker of the conference, the eminent professor in Ceramics from Switzerland, Prof. Susanne Scherrer, who presented on "Dental ceramics – where to use which?". This was followed by the presentation by the erudite Prof. Rangarajan Vedantham, immediate past president of the Indian Prosthodontics Society, who spoke on the challenging topic of "Complete Denture Fabrication – Where is the Evidence?". The final presentation of the morning session was given by the internationally acclaimed Prof. Charles Goodacre, who provided a comprehensive overview of the evidence available for prosthodontic occlusions. The session ended with a lively plenary session moderated by Prof Janice Ellis.

As part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, I tasked senior members of BSSPD to compile a Platinum Jubilee publication. Dr Richard Welfare was leading this charge and provided a brief overview of the progress of the publication, which is scheduled to be published in August/September 2023.

After a sumptuous lunch, the afternoon session was dedicated to maxillofacial prosthodontics- intraoral and extraoral. Dr Lorna MacNab moderated this session. She introduced my team from the Institute for Reconstructive Sciences in Medicine, comprising Heather Logan(surgical simulationist), Dr Hadi Seikaly (head and neck surgeon), Martin Osswald (maxillofacial prosthodontist), Akhila Reghunathan (anaplastologist) and myself. In the first session, Heather, Hadi, Martin and I – presented the current concepts in managing maxillary and mandibular bony defects using digital technologies. In the next session, Akhila and I gave delegates a masterclass managing facial defects with facial prosthetics using digital technologies. The plenary session moderated by Dr Lorna MacNab was very interactive, with numerous queries from the delegates.

Next was the BSSPD Gold medal presentation. The BSSPD Gold medal is the highest accolade that the BSSPD awards and is presented once every three years to an individual who has made 'exceptional contributions to the furtherance/development of Prosthodontics'. This year the award was bestowed on Prof Craig Barclay. 

The last segment of the afternoon was the Annual General Meeting(AGM) of BSSPD. Along with the general business of BSSPD, the soft launch of the BSSPD Research Foundation was announced.

The conference dinner was the highlight of the day, with Indian cuisine and Bhangra and Bollywood dancing. The Millennium Point had laid out the Atrium tastefully and with proper lighting imparting a festive occasion. The dinner guests were welcomed by the drumming of the 'Dhol', a traditional drum used in Bhangra, and by the Bhangra dancers in their colourful costumes on the steps leading down to the Atrium. The guests were welcomed with a welcome beverage, and the starters were laid on the table. At 730pm, the first performance of the Bhangra dancers commenced along with the start of the Indian buffet service. An energetic Bollywood performance by Desinach followed the Bhangra performance. Another set of Bhangra and Bollywood dances entertained the guests at around 815pm. DJ Manj provided the music. After desserts, Desinach invited guests to participate in a Bollywood dance workshop where the various Bollywood dance moves were demonstrated, and guests were invited to learn. After this, the dance floor was opened with DJ Manj regaling the guests with his mix of Bollywood and Western foot-tapping songs, which kept the guests entertained. After an initial hesitation from guests, the dance floor was packed, and guests got an opportunity to let their hair down until midnight. 

Day 2:
The second day commenced with the prestigious Schottlander oral presentations. This year, out of eight submissions, three were selected to present their scientific work.

The agenda on the conference's second day included presentations on contemporary prosthodontic research, implantology and new horizons on removable partial dentures in the implant and digital era by experts in the field. The morning scientific session, moderated by Dr Ade Mosaku, started with Dr Sree Koka, from USA, who described how our patients heal differently as they age and how treatment strategies should be modified to enhance success with implant therapy.

The BSSPD prize presentations followed this. Dr Rosanna Busuttil, from UCL, was awarded the Schottlander Oral Prize for her presentation "A comparison of the marginal and internal fit of two novel CAD/CAM lithium disilicate materials compared with an original CAD/CAM lithium disilicate material". Mr Ollie Jones from Sheffield University was awarded the Schottlander Poster Prize. Aliza Khan from Cardiff University won the 2023 Kulzer award for her essay entitled "For implant-supported single crowns, do customised healing abutments offer an aesthetic advantage for peri-implant soft tissue conditioning when compared with prefabricated counterparts?"

Dr Susan Tanner moderated the afternoon session. Dr Tom Salinas from Mayo Clinic, USA, presented on "Lowdown on dental implants – which to use, where, when and why." Dr Carlo Ercoli, from USA, was next and presented on the intersection of aesthetics, biology and technology related to anterior implants. Then after a tea break, we had the conference's final presentation by Dr Eitan Mijiritsky from Israel, who presented on removable partial dentures in the implant and digital era. 

Industry partners:
We had significant industry support, and I am very grateful for the sponsorship support of:

Platinum Sponsor – NOSK

Gold Sponsor – Oral B

Silver Sponsor – Coltene, General Medical, Ivoclar, Panthera Dental/Ceramet UK, RCS(Ed), Schottlander and Southern Implants.

Attendees and Participants:
The conference was well-attended, with over 260 delegates, including prosthodontists, speciality, graduate and foundation trainees, maxillofacial prosthetists, dental practitioners, researchers, and dental students. The participants came from various countries, making the event an international forum for exchanging ideas and knowledge. We also had the pleasure of hosting Dr Theresa Hofstede, President of the American Academy of Maxillofacial Prosthetics; Dr V Rangarajan, Immediate Past President of the Indian Prosthodontic Society;  Dr Eitan Mijiritsky, Second President-Elect of the European Prosthodontic Society and Dr Hadi Seikaly, President of the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

The Platinum Jubilee conference of the British Society of Prosthodontics was a resounding success, providing a platform for exchanging knowledge, ideas, and best practices in prosthodontics. The conference demonstrated the importance of collaboration and innovation in advancing the field of prosthodontics. It highlighted the vital role prosthodontists play in restoring oral health and improving quality of life for patients.

I look forward to meeting again next year at our next conference under the Presidency of Dr James Owens at the Royal College of Music & Drama, Cardiff, on April 18th & 19th, 2024. James has a great programme; further details can be found on our website.

Suresh Nayar

Immediate Past President, BSSPD