EDITORIAL
Journal of Investigative and Clinical Dentistry (2011), 2, 151
Implant dentistry education at crossroads
Implant dentistry has caught the imagination of the general public. For a fairly long period of time, implant dentistry was the preserve of the affluent, mainly in developed nations, but this is no longer the case for two major reasons. First, the stranglehold held by a few commercial firms on the production and delivery of implants is now torn down, with more than 200 different types of implants manufactured by some 80 firms available in the market. Consequently, the price of implants has exponentially slumped during the past decade or so. Second, and particularly in Asia, a new generation of recently wellheeled patients are seeking implant therapy as an alternative to dentures. So what does the future hold? Clearly, the newly graduating dentists with more than four decades of professional life ahead of them will have to be conversant with the indications for surgical delivery, management of complications, and maintenance of implants. How competent should they be with the predicted demand of implants? This was the major focus of a recently-held forum workshop at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, as reported in the guest article in the current issue of the Journal of Investigative and Clinical Dentistry (JICD)1 Although not a consensus conference, the forum participants from seven South–East Asian nations (and 10 tertiary institutes) were able to discuss, for the first time, the disparate practices in implant dentistry pedagogy in Asian dental schools. The recommendations emanating, as succinctly described in the guest report of Lang et al.,1 are a commendable first attempt at setting goals for a new Asia-wide curriculum of appropriate competencies in implant dentistry, not only for the undergraduates, but ª 2011 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd
also for the postgraduates. As always, JICD is proud to be Asia–Pacific centric, and I urge you to make JICD your public forum for airing any issues related to dentistry in the region, or indeed elsewhere. Once again, the current issue of JICD has a variety of international offerings particularly focused on oral pathology and oral medicine. Continuing the subject of implantology, Dellavia et al.2 describe the histological evaluation of tissues in peri-implantitis, a condition increasingly common due to the accelerating numbers of implant patients we are witnessing in various communities worldwide. Other select offerings in the current issue include a comprehensive review on gingival fibromatosis––a rare, benign, slow fibrous overgrowth of gingival tissue––and its various manifestations and management, examined by Poulopoulos et al.3 The issue of fibrosis is once again addressed by Jayasooriya et al.4 in an intriguing investigation, where the authors surmise that prevention of fibrosis progression in submucous fibrosis might reduce the risk of development of dysplastic lesions. Incidentally, submucous fibrosis is a debilitating condition that is particularly prevalent in Asia, and research into this condition is urgently warranted. These, plus the remaining articles, ranging from oral microbiology to conservative dentistry, should give the reader another well-rounded edition of JICD. Happy reading! Lakshman Samaranayake Editor-in-Chief References 1 Lang NP, Bridges SM, Lulic M. Implant dentistry in undergraduate dental curricula in South-East Asia. J Invest Clin Dent 2011; 2: 152–5. 2 Dellavia C, Carmagnola D, Storelli S, Rossi A, Canciani E, Romeo E. Histological evaluation of the peri-implant tissues of three human-retrieved Straumann implants. J Invest Clin Dent 2011; 2: 216–20. 3 Poulopoulos A, Kittas D, Sarigelou A. Current concepts on gingival fibromatosis-related syndromes. J Invest Clin Dent 2011; 2: 156–61. 4 Jayasooriya PR, Nadeeka Jayasinghe KA, Mudiyanselage Tilakaratne W. Relationship between thickness of fibrosis and epithelial dysplasia in oral submucous fibrosis. J Invest Clin Dent 2011; 2: 171–5.
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Journal of Investigative and Clinical Dentistry (2011), 2, 151
Implant dentistry education at crossroads
Implant dentistry has caught the imagination of the general public. For a fairly long period of time, implant dentistry was the preserve of the affluent, mainly in developed nations, but this is no longer the case for two major reasons. First, the stranglehold held by a few commercial firms on the production and delivery of implants is now torn down, with more than 200 different types of implants manufactured by some 80 firms available in the market. Consequently, the price of implants has exponentially slumped during the past decade or so. Second, and particularly in Asia, a new generation of recently wellheeled patients are seeking implant therapy as an alternative to dentures. So what does the future hold? Clearly, the newly graduating dentists with more than four decades of professional life ahead of them will have to be conversant with the indications for surgical delivery, management of complications, and maintenance of implants. How competent should they be with the predicted demand of implants? This was the major focus of a recently-held forum workshop at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, as reported in the guest article in the current issue of the Journal of Investigative and Clinical Dentistry (JICD)1 Although not a consensus conference, the forum participants from seven South–East Asian nations (and 10 tertiary institutes) were able to discuss, for the first time, the disparate practices in implant dentistry pedagogy in Asian dental schools. The recommendations emanating, as succinctly described in the guest report of Lang et al.,1 are a commendable first attempt at setting goals for a new Asia-wide curriculum of appropriate competencies in implant dentistry, not only for the undergraduates, but ª 2011 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd
also for the postgraduates. As always, JICD is proud to be Asia–Pacific centric, and I urge you to make JICD your public forum for airing any issues related to dentistry in the region, or indeed elsewhere. Once again, the current issue of JICD has a variety of international offerings particularly focused on oral pathology and oral medicine. Continuing the subject of implantology, Dellavia et al.2 describe the histological evaluation of tissues in peri-implantitis, a condition increasingly common due to the accelerating numbers of implant patients we are witnessing in various communities worldwide. Other select offerings in the current issue include a comprehensive review on gingival fibromatosis––a rare, benign, slow fibrous overgrowth of gingival tissue––and its various manifestations and management, examined by Poulopoulos et al.3 The issue of fibrosis is once again addressed by Jayasooriya et al.4 in an intriguing investigation, where the authors surmise that prevention of fibrosis progression in submucous fibrosis might reduce the risk of development of dysplastic lesions. Incidentally, submucous fibrosis is a debilitating condition that is particularly prevalent in Asia, and research into this condition is urgently warranted. These, plus the remaining articles, ranging from oral microbiology to conservative dentistry, should give the reader another well-rounded edition of JICD. Happy reading! Lakshman Samaranayake Editor-in-Chief References 1 Lang NP, Bridges SM, Lulic M. Implant dentistry in undergraduate dental curricula in South-East Asia. J Invest Clin Dent 2011; 2: 152–5. 2 Dellavia C, Carmagnola D, Storelli S, Rossi A, Canciani E, Romeo E. Histological evaluation of the peri-implant tissues of three human-retrieved Straumann implants. J Invest Clin Dent 2011; 2: 216–20. 3 Poulopoulos A, Kittas D, Sarigelou A. Current concepts on gingival fibromatosis-related syndromes. J Invest Clin Dent 2011; 2: 156–61. 4 Jayasooriya PR, Nadeeka Jayasinghe KA, Mudiyanselage Tilakaratne W. Relationship between thickness of fibrosis and epithelial dysplasia in oral submucous fibrosis. J Invest Clin Dent 2011; 2: 171–5.
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