Dentsply Sirona International Special Clinic Solutions: Three countries in five days in the name of endodontics

Professor Sigurdsson's whirlwind tour began in Singapore, where he spoke to Dentsply Sirona key opinion leaders and influencers in endodontics on the first day of his stay in the peninsula state. The next day was filled with lectures for the College of General Dental Practitioners held at the Dentsply Sirona Showroom.

With such titles as "Differential Diagnosis: Is it really a toothache?" and "Current Treatment Options of Dental Trauma´ the lectures covered such topics as the first response to certain dental injuries. Professor Sigurdsson pointed out that every minute counts, which is why it is important that every dentist has at least cursory knowledge of what needs to be done and the urgency of the appropriate treatment. In this respect he was able to talk about current therapeutic options for root resorption and even rounded off the event with a hands-on workshop.

New NYU Dentsply Sirona Suite sets the standard for other endodontic clinics

Next stop on the agenda was Auckland, where a full-day seminar was planned on future trends in endodontics for GP dentists from the New Zealand Dental Association and the University of Otago. Alongside problem-solving and minimally-invasive approaches, Professor Sigurdsson was also able to speak about the new NYU Dentsply Sirona Endodontic Suite. "While I was most impressed by the interest shown by the audience at every location on the trip," he recalls, "It was gratifying to hear about the interest in and questions surrounding our new endodontic suite. This clinic was hard work, which the whole NYU dental community is very proud of, and I hope that our experience will help others to get to where we are today."

Then it was off to the final leg of the tour, two days of lectures in Taipei. Under the overall title of diagnosis and treatment options of late complications to dental trauma, Professor Sigurdsson spoke to dentists at three different hospitals in the Taiwanese capital. This turned out to be a personal favorite for the expert endodontist, who is no stranger to the region. "It was great fun to meet as many different dentists and endodontists from quite different backgrounds," he summarizes. "I very much enjoyed the interaction with the audience, and I got a lot of feedback from the Taipei seminars – both at the time as well as once I was back home. Truly, I've never gotten as many requests for my slides!"

A rewarding experience for all concerned

Although he has previously lectured in 44 countries, the professor was still surprised by the response: "Compared to some of my previous trips to Asia, the interest in what I had to offer was quite rewarding and made the difficult trip worth it for me."

When Sigurdsson describes the trip as 'difficult', he is referring to the challenging schedule. "The most difficult part was frankly the travel. Talking over 20 hours in five days, in three different countries with long flights in-between," he points out. But the trip brought its own rewards: "Even though the Auckland session was long, for the most part the people stayed the whole time, which to me was quite gratifying."

The future for endodontics is bright

When asked about his own personal insights on the lecture topics, Professor Sigurdsson remains enthusiastic: "The recent innovations in instrumentation technology are fascinating," he begins. "Almost every dentist who has had the opportunity to be trained using these new tools can adequately and consistently instrument root canals that some years ago would've been way out of their reach." This knowledge will one day enable the majority to enjoy better dental care, because not everyone has access to a skilled endodontist, such as Sigurdsson and his colleagues. Which is why the professor undertakes such lecture tours. "Knowledge as well as technology in dentistry is evolving quite fast these days," he tells the dentists he meets. "Therefore, it's important to keep up with the changing world and attend quality lectures and read the literature. Be open minded: what was thought to be the standard of care some years ago might not be a treatment option anymore."

In his concluding remarks, Professor Sigurdsson wistfully notes that despite saying we need to change with new concepts and knowledge, some things do not change. The challenge in the oral cavity remains the problem of bacteria in the wrong place, whether it is decay in the crown or infection in the root canal. Yet he contends that the future is bright. "The next step is to figure out how to better disinfect the root canals. I feel we're getting close and then the last step will be to regenerate a new pulp that will continue to function normally for the rest of the patient's life."

ABOUT DENTSPLY SIRONA

Dentsply Sirona is the world's largest manufacturer of professional dental products and technologies, with over a century of innovation and service to the dental industry and patients worldwide. Dentsply Sirona develops, manufactures, and markets a comprehensive solutions offering including dental and oral health products as well as other consumable medical devices under a strong portfolio of world class brands. As The Dental Solutions Company™, Dentsply Sirona's products provide innovative, high-quality and effective solutions to advance patient care and deliver better, safer and faster dental care. Dentsply Sirona's global headquarters is located in York, Pennsylvania, and the international headquarters is based in Salzburg, Austria. The company's shares are listed in the United States on NASDAQ under the symbol XRAY.