How to treat perio today

A lot has changed today when it comes to the best ways to treat periodontal diseases – from a new classificiation to three international clinical practice guidelines. In this lecture, a broad and concise overview will be given what the most promising and internationally recommended treatment strategies for different periodontal diseases are – and how to implement those in everyday practice.

Understanding perio – what is happening here?

Our understanding of the pathobiology of periodontitis has come a long way in the last decade – we are moving away from a purely mechanical understanding of disease towards a more integrated view of the human body interacting with a vast microbiome. This means that our work is now much more medical in nature when treating this complex disease holostically. In this lecture, the latest insights into the mechanisms of periodontal disease and its connections to the whole body are given – as well as hints as to how to use these insights for our patients every day.

The Balancing Act of Oral Health: How Caries, Periodontitis, and Modern Lifestyles Tip the Scales of Well-Being

In the modern world, oral health plays a critical but often underestimated role in overall well-being. This presentation explores the complex relationship between oral health and systemic health, with a focus on the impact of both dental caries and periodontitis. These two common yet preventable conditions significantly contribute to systemic inflammation, exacerbating chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, and respiratory disorders. Today’s fast-paced lifestyles, marked by poor dietary habits, stress, and irregular oral hygiene, further compound these issues, tipping the balance toward poor health. High sugar consumption, frequent snacking, frequent stress, reduced and irregular physical activity and lack of preventive care all increase the risk of diseases, both orally and systemically. Moreover, the interplay between oral conditions and systemic health underscores the need for a more integrated approach to healthcare.

This presentation will discuss how an alert approach to oral health requires more than just addressing the symptoms of oral diseases; it involves recognizing the broader lifestyle factors that influence oral-systemic health. It will also highlight strategies for prevention, including the role of education, dietary changes, and interdisciplinary collaboration between dental and medical professionals. By restoring balance through proactive care and lifestyle adjustments, individuals can improve not only their oral health but also their overall quality of life.

Health Behavior Change

Cognitive dissonance is just one of the multifaceted challenges when working with behavior change.To focus on intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation could help us stepping out of our comfort zones. How do we do this in practice?

The Business of Change: Leveraging Patient Habits for Sustainable Success

Dental practices are increasingly recognizing the critical role patient behavior plays in achieving sustained clinical outcomes and business growth. This presentation observes the behaviour change from business and coaching perspective and explores how understanding and influencing habits can be a game-changer for patients but also for dental teams. Drawing on principles from behavioral economics, psychology, and coaching strategies, we will delve into how subtle shifts in communication, education, and motivation can lead to better clinical results, but also better business.

Challenges and obstacles during the orthodontic treatment pathway

The successful result of the orthodontic treatment requires good orthodontist clinical skills,
favorable growth, and cooperation between the orthodontist and the patient. Orthodontic
treatment requires a significant amount of time; during this long journey, there are many
obstacles and challenges. Maintaining appropriate oral hygiene is one of them. One common
unwanted consequence of fixed orthodontic treatment has been reported to be the
development of white spot lesions (WSLs) and early caries. Risk factors include insufficient oral
hygiene, individual salivary buffering capacity, saliva flow rate, presence or absence of local
fluoridation, and inattentive surplus etching of enamel surfaces not covered by bracket bases or
sealants. The overall prevalence of WSLs ranges from 2-96% depending on the methods used to
assess and score lesions, their presence before treatment, and the use of fluoride supplements
during treatment. In general, there are two main lines of interventions in treating WSLs. The
first one includes non-invasive methods, such as the application of topical high-concentration
fluorides or casein phosphopeptide amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP). The second one
includes more invasive techniques, such as hydrochloric acid-pumice microabrasion procedure
or caries infiltration with resin.

Orthodontic Movement of Periodontally Compromised Teeth after Periodontal Regeneration – when is the Right Time?

Orthodontic tooth movement of periodontally compromised teeth has always been seen as something that many dentists find risky. Indeed, the correct choice of a patient for such a procedure is a crucial part of the success of this kind of treatment. In the last few years clinical guidelines of periodontal treatment have been published by the EFP and one part in stage IV periodontitis is related to orthodontic tooth in periodontally compromised patients. There has been a paradigm shift in how and when to treat the perio patient with orthodontic treatment. This lecture will try to answer when is the right timing of orthodontic treatment in periodontally compromised patients and when can orthodontic tooth movement be done after a periodontal regenerative procedure.

AESTHETIC COMPLICATIONS IN IMPLANTOLOGY: How Soft Tissues Shape
Perfect Outcomes

Dental implant treatment has transformed restorative dentistry, offering a reliable
solution for supporting fixed and removable prostheses in both partially and fully
edentulous patients. While implant survival rates remain high, as consistently
reported in numerous systematic reviews and clinical studies, the emphasis has
traditionally been on survival and marginal bone levels, often neglecting critical
aesthetic considerations. As a result, the definition of implant success; has expanded
to include not only technical and biological factors but also aesthetic outcomes.
The demand for implant-supported restorations that restore function while achieving
biologically and aesthetically pleasing results has introduced new challenges. Recent
evidence suggests that thick peri- implant soft tissues are associated with more
favourable aesthetic outcomes compared to thin, soft tissues.
Furthermore, soft tissue thickness plays a crucial role in maintaining peri-implant
health, with thin, soft-tissue phenotypes linked to a higher prevalence of peri-implant
mucositis and peri- implantitis. This has shifted the focus from purely bone-oriented
implant placement to a more comprehensive, reconstruction-oriented approach.
However, with the growing popularity of dental implants, the incidence of
complications has also increased. Complications related to dental implants can be
classified as either technical or biological, but aesthetic complications tend to be the
most noticeable from a patient’s perspective. These issues can occur at the
restoration level, often regarded as technical, or at the soft or hard tissue level, which
holds biological significance.
Among aesthetic complications, mucosal recession is the most common, affecting
12% to 27% of cases in university settings. Factors contributing to mid-facial
recession are often linked to the bucco-oral position of the implant and the soft-tissue
phenotype. Accurate diagnosis and assessment are therefore critical when
addressing aesthetic complications around implants. This lecture aims to provide a
comprehensive
overview of these complications and introduce a decision tree to guide clinicians
through various clinical scenarios and treatment options, helping to effectively
manage aesthetic issues and improve overall outcomes in dental implant treatment.
The focus will be on the stability of peri-implant soft tissues and the factors that
influence this stability.