AACD’s annual scientific session joins growing list of events cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns

The long list of cancelled dental meetings grew more on Thursday when it was announced that the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) was calling off its 36^th annual scientific session, originally scheduled to take place next month in Florida.

The AACD announced the cancellation of AACD 2020 Orlando due to the ongoing threat posed by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The Academy’s priority in making this decision is the health, safety, and well-being of our members, our staff, our corporate sponsors, and exhibitors, the AACD stated in its announcement. 

There are no plans to reschedule the Annual Scientific Session, but the Academy has opened up access for all AACD members to the AACD 2019 San Diego recordings on its Virtual Campus platform, allowing clinicians to still earn CE without leaving home. You can also earn CE by taking courses on a plethora of topics on the Virtual Campus here .  

In response to this unique situation, the AACD will be issuing registration refunds to all who are currently registered and to those who cancelled their registration on March 11 or later. Due to the circumstances, the Academy is currently working on how to accomplish this most efficiently. You can avoid the wait for refunds by seamlessly rolling over registration to next year’s conference at the Gaylord Rockies in Aurora, Colorado, April 14-17, at no additional charge and you will be automatically enrolled in Prime benefits for 2021, which include early course selection and a significant cost savings. To begin either the roll over or the refund process, please start by clicking here.

For more information on COVID-19, click here to see DPR’s Coronavirus Resource Center.  

How to get CE credits
The AACD is committed to continuing education and your professional development, and encourages you to visit the AACD Virtual Campus to take digital courses and earn CE. The AACD’s flagship publication, the Journal of Cosmetic Dentistry, also offers CE credit. You can earn more CE bang for your buck by rolling over your registration to AACD 2021 Rockies here. 

The AACD is also working through the details of several other virtual CE opportunities in the near future so stay tuned.

Is the Give Back a Smile silent auction still happening?
Although we were not able to display our awesome auction items in Orlando, thanks to all our generous item donors, the Give Back a Smile silent auction will be open for bidding on April 1, the AACD added in this week’s statement. All bidding is done with a mobile device or computer. Auction proceeds benefit the Give Back a Smile program. Click here to register to bid. Final bid is Friday, April 24 at noon (CST). All items will be shipped to winning bidders, but please note that you are responsible for the cost of item shipping and shipping is only available in United States and Canada.

More cancellations
The AACD cancellation is just one of many dental conferences that have been postponed or cancelled due to growing COVID-19 concerns. Last week the Hinman Dental Society made the difficult decision that its 108th Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting, which would have opened March 19 at the Georgia World Congress Center and Omni Hotel at CNN Center, cannot be held.

For details on other cancellations as well as other updates on the coronavirus and its impact on the dental industry, visit dentalproductsreport.com.