Report Leuven Autumn School
On 2 and 3 September the ESMD Autumn School took place in the old Burgundian town of Leuven (Belgium).
With its finely sculpted Town Hall and its Saint Peter's church with its magnificent interior thetownoozeshistoryandthe many taverns and restaurants welcome the attendees and make a good setting for a wonderful stay. In 1425 the oldest university of our country was founded here and it is this same university that offered us a magnificent venue for the lectures on Friday and for the hands-on on Saturday.
The aim of this Autumn School was to help colleagues who are just starting to use their microscope and those who are considering buying one.
I purchased my microscope recently, after attending the ESMD Vilnius meeting in 2010 and now I was looking for some tips on the proper use and for meeting dentists who were in the same position as myself on the learning curve.
On Friday at the university site Gasthuisberg we were welcomed with a generous breakfast. It was a nice opportunity to take up old friendships and to meet new people. Most of them were new to microscope dentistry and there was a surprisingly high attendance of students, so there is hope for the future.
This first part of the course was held in the auditoria of the university and consisted of lectures about what was possible with a scope and what difficulties were to be expected in the beginning of the learning curve when working with dental microscopes.
Dr. David English (U.K.) took us through his own journey of bying, installing and using a microscope and gave many useful tips for the start of a microscope- dentistry career. In his office, he makes over 200 pictures a day through his microscope to enhance communication with his patients. He proved that microscope magnification is not the privilege of highly specialized and pricy dentistry.
Dr. Denis Honneger (Switzerland) illustrated the magnificent results that can be achieved by using a microscope and a little device called “eva handpiece” that most of us remember from our days at dental school but never used to its full potential. Denis showed us thatitwastimetoreconsiderthis toolin its new appearance with smaller range of strokes, with light and spray and damping, to make the working easy and predictable. In conjunction with the dental microscope for accurate view and control, this instrument can help us do better dentistry.
Dr. Walter van Driel (The Netherlands) gave tips for improved endodontical treatment.Hislectureshowedwhat can be done by an experienced endodontist and proper magnification and illumina- tion by a dental microscope. But it also inspired general practitioners for providing more accurate endo-treatment on first line.
A very appreciated non-dental topic was given to us by Mr. Wouter Torfs (Belgium). Being the ceo of a major
Flemish shoe shop chain that has been elected employer of the year several times, he is the perfect person to tell us how to deal with staff, recruitment, patient care. Very important issues in a dental office, but often forgotten until things go wrong! One of his golden rules to remember is: 'Hire staff based on attitude, not on skills!
'
Dr. Geertje Van Gorp (Belgium) made sure nobody would miss another dens invaginatus or evaginatus again and she explained how to treat them. These anatomical curiosities are often over- looked but are more likely to be discovered under magnification.
Prof. Dr.Stefan-Ioan Stratul (Romania) showed wizardry with the scalpel and the results he obtains by doing esthetic microsurgery in the gum area using the Mucograft from Geistlich.
Prof. Dr. Paul Lambrechts proved what a magnificent tool a cone beam ct scan can be in combination with a microscope. By means of one single example, he illustrated perfectly that the combination of cbct and microscope give the best possible 3D imaging of a tooth structure and allows the most accurate treatment.
This concluded a whole day of extremely interesting information.
After this day of lectures, a nice reception awaited us and during this reception with drinks and appetizers there was a surprise tombola where a statim 5000 was the main prize, after an Ipod and an Ipad 2..... Worth staying till the last minute. But than again, those who ever attended ESMD meetings know that this organisation has the most pleasant surprises for those who come in time or stay till the end!
With many thanks to the generous sponsor SciCan/Denta In the evening we had a taste of what Belgium and Leuven in particular has to offer.
It is always nice to spend some time with likeminded souls and have a conversation on dentistry and on how each and everyone of us is coping with this new tool, the microscope.
On Saturday we were going for a day of hands-on training at St-Raphael dental school. The facilities we were allowed to use were really mind-blowing!
It makes you want to be a student again . The consensus amongst the attendees was that today's students are really blessed to be able to use all these tools that allow better dentistry. Every fully equipped unit had its proper workstation with lcd screen to follow all the lectures going on. As every unit was equipped with a surgical microscope, we first got an explanation about the working of every part of the microscope.
We were taught how to set it up, how to sit right up and how to get the best view. Really important tips that help a lot if you start out with the microscope!
Days like this also give those contem- plating buying one, an idea which one is best for his or her kind of practice. In the morning sessions, drilling cavities under magnification was instructed and exercised. Direct view and indirect view drilling were trained. Instructions on chairside assisting were given. During the afternoon we treated some teeth we brought with us, ultrasonics were used to get a better access opening and we were provided with test kits of the wave one files and the protaper files to have a go at the shaping of the canals under a
microscope. We practiced a molar endo with warm gutta obturation technique under a microscope which was a real eye-opener for some.
Probably they will now have a microscope as number one on their wish list for the office. These days of hands on training are ideal to get aquainted with working with the microscope.
In the other room micro-perio surgery was executed on pigs jaws under the whatchfull eye and the skilful instruc- tions of Prof. Stefan Stratul. Highly refined techniques were trained for recession coverage surgery without connective tissue grafting.
The participants were so interested in all this, that we spent a beautiful sunny day with temperatures of 32°, possibly the last and rare summer day of 2011, staring through the oculars of a microscope and begging for more info and exercise. Coffee breaks and lunch were almost skipped due to the enthusiasm of the participants.
Leuven Autumn School was a great experience and surely an incentive for everyone attending to come back next year to Berlin for more and more extensive and refined knowledge and training in microscope dentistry.
Trainings and courses like ESMD autumn school are highly recommended to anyone who is starting out with the microscope or thinking of beginning to work with one.
I am sure all attendees felt welcome and enjoy being part of this growing family of dentists who take the dental health of their patients to heart and who want to achieve the highest level of care to provide them with.