Dentsply Sirona World Goes Virtual and Delivers Exciting, Educational Program Focused on Efficient Workflows

Breakout session with Dr Michael Snider during last week's Dentsply Sirona World virtual event. Photo courtesy of Denstply Sirona.

Making the most out of a difficult global situation, Dentsply Sirona held its Denstply Sirona World event last week as a virtual event rather than the typical in-person conference at a popular venue like Las Vegas.

At a media reception for Denstply Sirona World earlier this month, the company talked about the new format brought on by the pandemic, and shared plans for some of the newer education opportunities such as virtual lectures for dentists and lab technicians, as well as on-demand education that also included live surgical demonstrations.

Exceptional circumstances require exceptional changes, is the way the company describes this year’s event. Dentsply Sirona World, the “Ultimate Dental Meeting”, took place completely online from November 13-20. More than 4,500 dentists, dental technicians and practice teams registered for the over 70 courses in almost all practice-related disciplines. Live surgeries were special highlights that had the attention of the audience.

With lectures on a variety of topics, inspiring breakout sessions, and motivating speakers, the virtual Dentsply Sirona World delivered online education with its versatile program. In his opening speech, Don Casey, CEO of Dentsply Sirona, emphasized the company's commitment to provide participants with comprehensive support in offering their patients the best possible dentistry. A theme throughout the week was that dentistry is truly essential. Dental professionals from more than 25 countries attended to the courses, demonstrating that even in times like these, the dental world stands together and takes its responsibility for a healthy smile of its patients, Casey summarized.

The transformation to a new digital era in dentistry is also determined by people’s daily attitude in their (dental) businesses. This idea is where Simon Sinek, best-selling author and motivational coach, started his keynote at the opening event. He encouraged regularly questioning one's own daily routines and beginning to look at them as an “infinite game.” This would have the advantage of being able to change rules and help each other instead of getting stuck in old habits; it is important not to lose sight of the long-term perspective. These perspectives can help all dental professionals become even more successful in practice and also gain confidence.

Virtually brought up to the current state of research

For one week, lectures and presentations were available online and gave an overview of the current state of the art of dentistry. Lots of behind-the-scenes work took place to get Dentsply Sirona World 2020 to its final state and numerous sections were recorded in advance at the Academy in Charlotte. More than 80 people filmed 700+ hours in 12 weeks across six time zones and put together the final program, which is unique in this form, the company says. Additionally, more than 70 key opinion leaders were involved and covered topics from digital imaging, restorative and preventive dentistry to implant dentistry, endodontics, orthodontics, as well as hygiene and practice management. One of the most impressive highlights were the live surgeries, one of which was put online every day. Renowned experts such as Dr Mike Skramstad, Dr Meena Barsoum, Dr Douglas Smail, Dr Dan Butterman, Dr. Farhad Boltchi and Dr Diwakar Kinra provided an intimate look over their shoulders during implant, restorative and endodontic treatments.

The editorial team at Dental Products Report had a chance to interview some of these key speakers so look for podcasts and additional articles soon.

Workflow solutions for greater safety and business efficiency

The online-learning was also a new situation for the lecturers, which they solved with great poise.

Sameer Puri, DDS, Vice President for clinical education at CDOCS, who moderated the main program, liked what the format offered to all involved. "The colleagues have impressively shown that online education works perfectly and offers participants real added value. As a moderator, I also learned a lot", he says.

Dentsply Sirona's contribution is reflected in the functionality of the numerous innovations that were presented in the lectures, breakout sessions and surgeries. The focus was primarily on digital solutions. One of these is the new Axeos X-ray unit, which features a particularly large field-of-view and ultra-sharp images at the lowest possible radiation dose.

Primescan, the heart of a dental practice, also received a lot of attention. Thanks to its easy handling, the fast scanning process and its high accuracy, the intraoral scanner offers the perfect starting point for further digital workflows.

While the event was well received, Casey states that the company is looking forward to meeting personally again next year with its customers and partners in Las Vegas.