Professionals from dental technology, dentistry and science met in Frankfurt am Main on January 17, 2020, for the third PROSEC Symposium. The focus was ceramic implantology and metal-free prosthetics. The annual know-how update offers important new stimuli and provides a unique platform for interdisciplinary exchange. The participants’ reports on the information content and quality of the event were unanimously positive – and, with 115 participants from all over Germany, the expectations of the PROSEC Scientific Board were more than met.

Recommended actions, international expansion, research funding

Dr. Johannes Löw, Würzburg, who is the PROSEC press spokesperson, moderated the multifaceted program, which featured top-level experts. Löw initially called attention to the recommendations for action that PROSEC will make in the future with the PROSEC Recommendations and the PROSEC Scientific Statements: “PROSEC wants to use its experts to address the urgent questions that arise in daily work.” PROSEC would thus reinforce its role as a motivator and guide for users in laboratory and practice. Löw handed the meeting over to Dr. Michael Tholey, Bad Säckingen, who is the Vice-Chairman of the PROSEC Scientific Board. He reported on the expansion of the network of experts: “We have received requests from Asia and North America to further expand the network,” Tholey said, delighted with the keen international interest. He explained the benefits of a PROSEC partnership and the opportunities for research funding through the PROSEC Research Grant.

Update on digitization and awards ceremony

Prof. Dr. Florian Beuer, Berlin, presented a general update on digitization. He used clinical case studies to demonstrate the advantages digitization now offers in practice. “There is still a huge gap between what is actually possible digitally and what we are really doing,” he concluded.

The agenda included a premiere: the presentation of the first PROSEC Excellence Award, which was highly competitive, involving the submission of numerous cases. The winner, Dr. Benedikt Spies, Berlin, was honored by Dr. Michael Tholey for his outstanding case documentation with ceramic implants. He was also thrilled with the prize money of 3,000 euros. Dentistry cases can also be submitted for the PROSEC Excellence Award.

PROSEC Research Grant: first scientific outcomes

“We have been considering how to scan one-piece ceramic implants a bit more easily,” was how Dr. Christian Wesemann, Berlin, began his presentation on a clinical feasibility study that was funded last year via the PROSEC Research Grant and published as a poster in the Clinical Oral Implants Research Journal in September 2019. According to this, a scan of the upper third of the implant surface is sufficient to reconstruct missing areas using the known implant morphology. In the marginal area that was not scanned, this approach even results in a more precise, standardized marginal fit.

The MDR is coming!

Iris Wälter-Bergob, Meschede, treated a completely different subject, one that will be important for all laboratory operators in the future. She pointed out the pitfalls of the new MDR (Medical Device Regulation), which must be implemented in laboratories by May 26, 2020. Among other things, she addressed the documentation and reporting requirements as well as the role of a safety officer, who must be appointed at companies with 20 employees or more. “The resources and time required to implement the new MDRs should not be underestimated. A sound plan and the use of efficient and reliable project managers are indispensable for this“.

Titanium intolerance and all-ceramic implant prosthetics

Titanium intolerance, which is currently the subject of wide and controversial debate, was the central theme of the joint lecture. “To date, the mechanisms responsible for ‘titanium sensitization‘ are only partially known. In contrast to other metals, genuine cell-mediated allergies to titanium have not been described and are also pathogenetically extremely unlikely,” according to Dr. Volker von Baehr, Berlin. He explained intolerance to foreign bodies and the possibilities for laboratory diagnosis using titanium as an example; Dr. Elisabeth Jacobi-Gresser, Mainz, demonstrated the corresponding clinical consequences. Since current studies do not yet allow unambiguous conclusions, in the future PROSEC will continue to monitor the issue of titanium intolerance , initiate ongoing discussion and report new findings.

Implant prosthetics: team communication as a model for success

The symposium culminated in a joint lecture on fully ceramic implant prosthetics by the dentistry duo Luc and Patrick Rutten from Tessenderlo, Belgium. It focused on understanding and properly handling biological factors to ensure a long-lasting and stable aesthetic treatment outcome. “Communication between dentists and dental technicians is key to success. We don’t know enough about each other. It’s time to communicate with one another,” Luc Rutten made clear. On the basis of aesthetically pleasing cases, the masters of their field showed what teamwork means.

PROSEC Partnership for dental technicians, dentists and scientists

PROSEC once again substantiated the veracity of its interdisciplinary approach. Dental technicians, dentists and scientists jointly thought outside the box and opened up new prospects for making new technical advances. A PROSEC Partnershipopen to all three disciplines can advance this interdisciplinarity, and bring it to life through joint research projects, workshops and working groups.