Iatrogenic injuries are not complications as a result of placement of dental implants, extraction of teeth, and periodontal surgery, including biopsies. While often considered a risk of treatment, legally, complications like nerve damage, sinus infection, and tooth loss may be, under certain circumstances, considered evidence of substandard care, commonly referred to as malpractice. This program will analyze the legal exposures, the causes of such claims, evidentiary issues, and provide risk management guidance and tips for avoiding litigation and/or complaints to the dental licensing agency.

The introduction of digital technology in the last two decades has significantly impacted the accuracy and precision of implant placement. The ultimate digital approach is represented by robotic assisted surgery. Robotic assisted surgery has been applied to several areas of medicine and now this technology has landed in dentistry. The goal of this presentation is to review the state of the art of the digital approaches in implant dentistry with particular attention to robotic assisted surgery. Indication pros and cons of this novel approach will be discussed, in addition to future developments and directions.

This session will examine how harnessing our knowledge about oral microbes, the oral microbiome, and the body's own ability to resolve inflammation can be useful to address oral diseases and promote healing from within.

Subantral augmentation, or the “sinus lift” procedure, can be performed through the maxillary facial plate using the modified Caldwell-Luc technique or via a crestal approach through the alveolar ridge. This presentation will highlight the latest advances in sinus augmentation techniques covering topics that range from the use of new surgical devices to minimally invasive instruments that facilitate these challenging tasks.

Five years have passed since the 2018 classification of periodontal and peri-implant diseases were introduced, and we have had a chance to use it in teaching, research, and practice. We have had an opportunity to identify grey areas, as well as to appreciate its utility in identifying patients with disease and exchanging information between colleagues. Drs. Papapanou, Kumar, and Thacker have put together an integrated presentation that will explore the rationale behind the development of the current classification, the biological aspects of disease based on the staging and grading, and clinical scenarios for decision making during patient care and teaching dental students and colleagues.