Heraeus symposium

SOUTH BEND, Indiana--Heraeus Kulzer, a leader in dental esthetics, held the Fourth International Heraeus Dental Symposium Oct. 27-30, 2011, at the Scottsdale Center for Dentistry in Scottsdale, Ariz.

This was the first Heraeus symposium, in conjunction with international colleagues, held in the western Hemisphere. The first three were held in Europe. A total of 68 dentists, laboratory owners, and researchers attended the event with roughly one-third of the attendees being from Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Germany, or Mexico.

The theme of the meeting, which was chaired by Jacinthe Paquette, DDS, of Newport Beach, Calif., and Marcos Vargas, DDS, MS, of the University of Iowa, was “Passion for Dentistry—Technology for Today and Tomorrow.”

The symposium featured 14 presentations about products and practices dealing with composites, adhesives, desensitizers and facial rejuvenation, as well as the use of social media in dentistry.

“Our company has a 160-year history of developing innovative materials and technologies,” said Marianne Gräfin Schmettow, head of Scientific Relations & Communication International for Heraeus Kulzer GmbH in Hanau, Germany.

“For us to ensure that our innovations are laser-focused on meeting the needs of dentists and their patients, it is essential that we maintain a rich and open dialogue with the world’s leading dental practitioners and researchers. And that is precisely the goal of our regular international Heraeus dental symposiums.”

Chris Holden, president of Heraeus Kulzer U.S., said, “What made this symposium so noteworthy and stimulating is the fact that our audience was of the same impressive caliber as our speakers. We are truly thrilled that these luminaries would honor us with their presence and participation for four days. The insights and feedback exchanged both during and between our 14 presentations will unquestionably enhance the ability of our company and our attendees to continue to transform the lives of dental patients for years to come.”

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One of the more provocative presentations was given by Dr. Susanne Busch of Heraeus’ R&D team in Germany regarding the concept of biomimetical mineralization.

According to this concept, dentine and enamel surfaces may be overgrown by a dense layer of enamel-like mineral comprising components that are primarily of biological origin or parts of natural mineralization, such as calcium, phosphate, fluoride and proteins. As a result, Dr. Busch explained, it may soon be possible to prevent early tooth decay by mineralization of apatite.

The U.S.-based speakers were: Lee Ann Brady, DMD; Gary DeWood, DDS, MS; Jack Ferracane, PhD; Brian LeSage, DDS, FAACD; Kaleim Manji, MBA; Rade Paravina, DDS, MS, PhD; and Marcos Vargas, DDS, MS. The internationally-based speakers were: Daniel Adler, DDS; Dr. Susanne Busch; Claus-Peter Ernst, DDS, PhD; Luis Antonio Felippe, DDS, MS; Marcelo Giannini, DDS, MS, PhD; Walter Miranda, DDS, MS, PhD; Alejandro Treviño, DDS, MS; and Warren Roberts, DMD.

Heraeus plans to make edited versions of the symposium presentations, as well as interviews with the speakers, available online.

For more information, call (800) 431-1785 or visit www.heraeusdentalusa.com.

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