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October 2, 2008

ADA: San Antonio Preview

With exciting new hands-on educational opportunities, live technique and product demonstrations and high profile speakers, the American Dental Association’s 149th Annual Session and World Marketplace Exhibition takes place Oct. 16-19 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio.

Besides the more than 225 continuing education courses and the expansive World Marketplace exhibition floor, the ADA is adding some new twists this year including a “Live Operatory Center” featuring live demonstrations of in-office CAD/CAM technology, a 3-D imaging center set up in a room with lead-lined glass walls to allow demonstrations of six cone beam machines, and a laser pavilion with eight lasers available for hands-on training from doctors and not just representatives from the manufacturers.

“People are learning the procedures, they’re not learning the specifics of that laser,” said Rich Schuch, Ed.D, ADA senior manager for program development.

The Live Operatory Center will provide opportunities for dental professionals to receive continuing education credits right from the exhibit floor, and Schuch expects it to be a highlight of the event. Pre-registration will be required for the CE courses, and more than 550 spots will be available.

The ADA’s recently introduced ADA365.org networking Web site will be a prominent part of the upcoming event. Members of the online community can take part in more than 50 courses through the site with expanded educational experiences that take advantage of the Internet’s ability to connect people and information. The site allows participants to receive course materials prior to the event, network with their peers and receive feedback before, during and after the Annual Session.

“We’re trying to allow them to learn before they show and then network after they leave the session,” Schuch said. “We’re trying to make it a yearlong learning experience.”

For the second straight year, the ADA will offer a number of courses in the interactive multi-media “Education in the Round” format that uses live patients to teach new techniques. Schuch said this unique educational format received an enthusiastic response after it’s debut last year. The sessions in this format will include a restorative case, an occlusion, a root-coverage grafting, an esthetic crown lengthening implant, an endontics demonstration, and an anesthesia demonstration.

This year former NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw headlines the “Distinguished Speaker Series” Friday, Oct. 17. The next morning ABC news correspondent Bob Woodruff and his wife Lee will speak about In an Instant, their book about the serious injuries Bob sustained from a roadside bomb attack while covering the war in Iraq.

In addition to the educational opportunities and guest speakers, the event also offers a chance to explore San Antonio. The convention center is steps away from the Alamo, and right on San Antonio’s River Walk featuring three miles of restaurants, shops and galleries along the San Antonio River.

For a full list of courses available and more information on the event visit www.ada.org/prof/events/session/index.asp, call 800-232-1432 or 312-440-2388, or e-mail annualsession@ada.org.

Photo courtesy of the American Dental Association, ada.org.