Congress > Barcelona 2007

Barcelona 2007 - 16th Annual Scientific Meeting

The Leading Scientific Forum for Implant Dentistry in Europe

by Dr Paul Stone (UK), EAO Secretary General

From 25 to 27 October 2007, Barcelona was host to over 4500 people who attended the 16th Annual Scientific Congress of the EAO (European Association for Osseointegration).The theme of the meeting was 'Contemporary Oral Implant Practice' and saw delegates from 74 countries around the world sharing knowledge in a wonderful city and conference centre.

The Congress was in collaboration with a number of Spanish Dental and Medical Societies (SEPA, SEPES, COEC, SEI and SECOM) and not surprisingly, the highest attendance was from the host country with 548 delegates.What might be unexpected was the next highest attendance from South Korea of 220.Close behind were Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Japan and France, all with over 150 delegates.These figures underline the key position of the EAO Annual Congress as a scientific platform for implant dentistry throughout the world.

The opening ceremony was hosted by the EAO President, Professor Friedrich Neukam and the Scientific Chairman Dr Carlos Aparicio. Professor Neukam's first duty was to make a presentation to Professor Daniel van Steenberghe thanking him for 17 years of contribution to the EAO.In 1991 he was the first EAO President and remained involved at the highest levels within the Association, finally retiring as Chairman of the EAO Council in October 2007.The opening ceremony also included the introduction of various local dignitaries, a film of Barcelona and a comedy routine from a Spanish mime company.The plenary and parallel sessions focused on the delivery of evidence-based scientific information that in many cases could be applied directly to the clinical environment.Each themed session benefited from world-renowned speakers presenting to a specific topic, overseen by two chairpersons who then co-ordinated the 30 minute discussion, exploring in more detail the issues raised.The themes ranged from factors affecting success and failure, implant prosthetics, surgical techniques, a multidisciplinary approach to various treatment options, implants in the aesthetic zone and immediate loading.'Hot' topics included the use of zirconium and zirconia, digital volume tomography, new load-bearing bio-materials and nano-technology surfaces.

A very important development in the EAO congress has been the way the scientific community views the opportunity to present current research activities.In Munich 2005, 200 abstracts were submitted, whereas in Barcelona only 2 years later, the Abstract Committee faced the huge task of selecting from 552 submitted abstracts.This massive increase necessitated a significant change to the Congress programme and the layout of the conference facility.Four sessions of parallel presentations incorporated 'short oral communications' and the 'clinical' and 'basic research' competitions.The standard of work presented was exceptional, with audience numbers sometimes exceeding 1000 and some very probing questions from the judges for the research competitions.The winners were Kees Stelling Sma (Netherlands) and Ralf Joachim Kohal (Germany) in the Clinical and Basic Research Competitions respectively.One of the most impressive sights was the Poster display which stretched for over 200m; the full length of the linking tunnel between the trade exhibition and the main auditorium.Over 400 posters were accepted (as opposed to only 130 in Munich) and once again the high quality was reflected by the large numbers of delegates viewing the work in the coffee and lunch breaks.The continued development of the EAO Congress as the major forum for science and research in implant dentistry is a very important aspect of future planning, and over 20 travel grants were awarded to the authors of the best posters and oral communications from all over the world.

A large trade exhibition filled one of the many halls and saw well over 60 exhibitors presenting their products and services to the huge number of delegates attending the Congress.Nine of the larger companies also hosted satellite symposia with highly respected speakers presenting information on new developments and techniques.Some of these symposia were again very well attended, with many hundreds of delegates benefiting from the scheduling that meant there was no clash with the main Congress programme.

2008 brings another exciting development for the EAO, with the Congress making its first trip to Eastern Europe. The 17^th Annual Scientific Meeting will be held in Warsaw, the historic capital of Poland, and already a scientific programme encompassing some of the most relevant aspects of current implant dentistry is in place.Delegates will have the opportunity to explore a city that has undergone a substantial transformation in recent years and at the same time benefit from hearing about some of the most significant implant developments.Make a note of the date: 18 to 20 September, 2008.See you in Warsaw!

For more practical details on different aspects of the Barcelona congress, visit the congress pages.