AIOB Newsletter: Winter 2006

Summary — 63rd Annual Meeting

Continuing Education, as we know it, continues to evolve, however, it obviously is in no danger of losing its primacy in our practices and development as doctors. Surely, all those in attendance at our past 63rd Annual Meeting were witness to presentations by a most wonderful "gemisch" (to quote our former president Dr Phil Boyne) of extremely talented and knowledgeable faculty assembled by our president, Dr. Shahrokh Shabahang.

Our opening speaker, Dr. John Thomas, "hit the ground running," so to speak and set the tone for the entire meeting. Talk about new and challenging concepts! His topic, "Biofilm Scandals in the Oral Cavity" and his subsequent presentation, "Links to Systemic Infections: Head to Toe" were eye-opening. He discussed new paradigms in microbiology and explained why Koch's Germ Theory Postulates no longer apply to oral infections, caused by some of the 700+ different microbial species found within the oral cavity. We know understand that while some biofilms are good, twenty-eight diseases are associated with them. Dr Thomas' "real world research" conducted on the important early role of oral plaque organisms on establishing endotracheal tube lumen biofilms and their role in initiation of ventilator-assisted pneumonia was both intriguing and sobering.

Dr. David Witherspoon discussed, "Modern Endodontic Practice and Tooth Retention, as well as "Obturation of the Open Apex Tooth." An all-inclusive overview of endo therapy from access to obturation and filling was provided to attendees; with all modern irrigants, ultrasonic irrigation and disinfectants reviewed. Dr Witherspoon noted that there is a move to bonding of space to obturate. Biologic closure of the open apex to facilitate treatment and allow physiologic root development continues to be a significant clinical problem and Dr. Witherspoon's research on MTA and other materials was discussed and is documented in his published papers found in the Proceedings Manual. During his presentations he stated that even more biologic based research should be performed in his specialty, in a move away from a mechanistic focus, which he felt was somewhat prominent recently. His presentations truly explained everything we ever wanted to know about Endodontics, and participants, as always had ample time to have questions answered throughout the meeting.

On Saturday morning, Attorney Arthur Curley spoke about, "The Dental Practice Act," which was germane to all our practices, as he explained that presently there is a "Nationwide" Standard of Care-which includes the taking of blood pressure and pulse at every patient visit. Although malpractice claims are decreasing, settlements are higher than ever and seminarians were advised that risk recognition was 90% of the problem. It was sobering to be both informed and to read, "Wrong tooth extractions continue to be the major reason for the filing of malpractice claims against oral and maxillofacial surgeons, despite education and training and the requirements for risk management courses (ref). In his cogent, inimitable fashion, Attorney Curley advised us to fully discuss the multitude of treatment options open to our Patients, obtain written "Informed Refusal of Care," and document everything on the patient's chart. Among his closing remarks was this memorable line, "Records are never a problem until you have a problem."

Our past-president, Dr. Philip Boyne presented, "Advances in Clinical Application of Cytokines" on Saturday afternoon. Attendees were reminded that cytokines are a group of proteins; namely endocrines, autocrines and paracrines. The latter, which affect adjacent cells, are involved in stem cell differentiation, angiogenesis, inflammation and the pathogenesis of most diseases. We learned that BMP-1 is not related to the other members of the Human BMP family, rhBMP2-rhBMP8, and that much research is being performed on establishing a proper BMP delivery system for reconstruction of defects. A problem with defects of the head and neck, especially, is that the BMP carrier must maintain the soft tissue envelope. We were shown very dramatic closure of premaxillary clefts and surgically created critical-sized defects of the mandible utilizing BMP and collagen carriers. Much of Phil and his collaborators' latest research have dealt with the search for better carriers and scaffoldings.

Dr. Hari Reddi, another veteran AIOB faculty member, followed Phil's presentation and delivered the 2nd Annual Philip J. Boyne Lecture, entitled, "A BMP Cytokine Update." The intent of this annual lecture is to provide Seminarians with a current, broad overview of advances in a particular field and we were treated to a comprehensive picture of the state of the art in "Regenerative Medicine and Surgery." Dr. Reddi expanded on Phil's presentation and stated that the BMPs should more correctly be called "Body" morphogenetic proteins, not just "Bone" morphogenetic proteins, as BMP2 is critically needed for heart development, BMP4 is needed for tooth morphogenesis, and BMP7 is necessary for kidney and eye components. Also, it was noted that the BMPs are not the only morphogens. The dosage of the BMPs, which are glycoproteins, must be optimized for each application and scaffold, per Dr. Reddi. Additionally, he explained that bone could be readily reconstructed but that cartilage was most difficult, as besides its intricate geometry, there are many catabolic cytokines, which constantly are in play to break it down.

Dr Yiming Li presented fascinating lectures on, "Discovery and Development of Tooth Whitening", and "Tooth Color Measurement: Methods and Challenges." The background on the early discovery and use of peroxides for this increasingly requested service was of great interest, while his focus on the safety of the materials was most comprehensive. The Proceedings "Summary and Conclusions" of Dr Li's article on the former subject bears review as an uninformed public rather cavalierly employs the "at-home" whiteners which appear to lack adequate research, in his opinion. In regard to use of instrumentation to detect differences in tooth coloration, it is comforting to know that the human eye still wins out over the machines. Attendees learned that most of the electronic instruments were developed to match colors not to measure differences in whiteness. The lack of correlation between the Chroma Meter and Vita shade guide is important to those who utilize these devices. Also the physical requirements and limitations of the devices were elucidated. The science of color and its measurements is obviously complicated and we thank Dr Li for his explanations and reviews.

In addition to all his other presidential duties and responsibilities, Dr. Shahrokh Shabahang organized and presented our Monday morning Hands-On-Seminar, entitled, "Use of Rotary Instruments for Root Canal Preparation." As a prelude to the "hands on" exercise, seminarians were treated to a most thorough review of all aspects of debridement and the use of chemical adjuncts, not only for their physical properties, but also for their immune modulating effects. We appreciate the efforts of Tulsa Dentsply, who not only provided the acrylic working blocks and handpieces, but also provided instrument kits for attendees to practice with and take home.

For many years the Institute has benefited from the generosity of Dr. Peter Geistlich, President, Geistlich & Sons, Ltd., Wolhusen, Switzerland for financial underwriting for publication of our Proceedings Manual. Besides serving as a permanent record of some of the Annual Meeting's curriculum, this manual has served many of us as an invaluable reference, which we have personally employed as well as shared with our colleagues.

For the last two years, June Barrientos, our Executive Secretary has converted the printed contents to CD-ROM format, which has made the Manual even more valuable to us.

Dr. Boyne has informed the Institute that this is the last edition of the Proceedings Manual for which we will receive Geistlich support. On behalf of the Institute, we want to again thank Dr. Geistlich for all his generosity and wish him to know that these funds were, indeed, invested wisely in furtherance of our collective post-doctoral education for which our patients ultimately benefited.

Due to an educational scheduling conflict a Members Open Forum replaced this year's Resident Presentations. This well attended early morning session, led by our president, Dr. Shahrokh Shabahang, sought member's opinions on selected topics. Many valuable insights regarding programming desires as well positive suggestions emerged and your Board and Advisory Council thank all of you who attended.

As always, the Friday evening poolside Welcoming Reception was a big hit with both members and speakers. This followed by the formal introduction of the faculty at the ensuing dinner set the tone for a very successful 63rd meeting.

Support Staff

On Saturday evening, the President's Reception hosted by Dr. Shahrokh Shabahang and his wife, Dr. Karin Hatami, was again very well attended and most successful. We were again fortunate to have both Dr. Philip and his wife, Mary Anne Boyne, in attendance as well as the rest of our esteemed faculty. In the finest AIOB tradition, we again thank our other gracious hosts and "keepers of the flame," Drs. Don Niewold, Ron Fink and Leonard Nelson.

Dr. Ron Fink must again be singled out for praise and thanks for his handling of our Hotel and Meeting Arrangements. Besides a myriad of calls and letters prior to the meeting Ron has on-site pre-conference meetings with the Hilton staff to assure smooth running of the conference. His behind-the-scenes efforts are protean and he succeeds in making a difficult task seem effortless.

We pride ourselves on maintaining our schedule in order to run an efficient meeting and owe special thanks to Dr. Al Mulliken, our "Gong Man". Breathes there a speaker who would dare exceed his/her allotted time and risk the feared "sounding of the gong?"

Our Advisory Council has added three new members as of this year's meeting and we welcome Drs. Carl Shanker, Yoshio Nakashima and Steve Oglesby. We congratulate them on their selection and look forward to their valuable input as they assume this new responsibility. "Thanks for a job well done," to those members of the Advisory Council whose terms expired this year.

Dr. Aravinda Shetty has assumed the position of Head of the Advisory Council, succeeding Dr. Steven Traub. We are certain that Aravinda's enthusiasm and knowledge will presage good things from the Council. Kudos and thanks to Steve Traub who has led the Council for these past several years, and who will continue to act as a consultant. Steve is also responsible for maintaining our website which has greatly improved through his collaborative efforts with June Barrientos as well as his "New Members Scholarship Challenge."

Thanks are due to the members of both the Advisory Council and Board of Directors who contribute their input throughout the year, and especially for their attendance at meetings during our Annual Meeting and assistance in the smooth running of our program.

Membership

NEW 10 YEAR FELLOWS: Congratulations to George Flitcraft, Bullhead City, Arizona, Ken Merritt, Clovis, New Mexico and Jeffrey Templin, Santa Rosa, California, for reaching this milestone. The doctors were presented with their certificates during the meeting.

SENIOR FELLOW at this year's meeting was again Eb King, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a record of having attended 49 meetings. Close on his heels, and also hailing from Albuquerque, were brothers Rex (43 meetings) and Max Wagner (39 meetings). There must be something in the water or the climate in Albuquerque! These three individuals are a very special group who serve as role models to the rest of us and are truly an inspiration for their dedication to our Institute. We thank them for all they have and continue to contribute to the AIOB and wish them the best of health, as we anticipate interacting with them at future meetings.

OTHER SENIOR FELLOWS must also be mentioned, with Phil Boyne (36), Jim Fitzpatrick (34), Donald Niewold, Leonard Warren (34) and Leonard Nelson (31) next in seniority.

QUARTER CENTURY AND ABOVE FELLOWS included John Hockin (25), John Lake (28), Gil McAdams (28), James Monteith (26), Paul Ortner III (26), Gordon Rodgers (28) and Richard Thompson (26). TWENTY-YEAR ATTENDEES were Norm Plotkin, Aravinda Shetty and Norm Wat.

Our 15-YEAR TTENDEES were Craig Lake and Sam Oglesby. FIVE-YEAR ATTENDEES included Dale and John Greenwood, Ray Meyers and Richard Nicholls.

SECOND YEAR ATTENDEES constituted a large group and we welcomed back David Bellows, Jennifer Fong, Mary Murakami, Kermit Radke, James Stitch, Judith Strutz and Annie Yuen.

FRESHMAN ATTENDEES included Nikolaus Gersdorff and Matthias Roediger from the Dept of Prosthodontics, University of Goettingen, Germany, Wayne Frost, Stuart Garber.

We are hopeful that you enjoyed your experience and will return to share in future meetings.

Spouses' Program

The AIOB Spouses enjoyed Saturday morning at the Palm Springs Art Museum. Program Chair, Debby Splaver, reported that the initial docent-led portion of the tour was most informative, and attendees then had free time to peruse the collections at their leisure. The museum has been greatly expanded in recent years and the permanent collections have been revised so a future visit is in order for any of our members or spouses who did not avail themselves of the opportunity this year. As in past years, the Institute underwrites the Spouses program, so there is no charge to the participants. Debby has requested member input regarding suggestions for next year's program and can be called at (954) 970-9366 or emailed at theodoresplaver@comcast.net.

Hotel Information

Despite the higher costs of gas and energy, Palm Springs continues to be an increasingly desirable weekend destination, with a burgeoning number of resorts and condominiums. Unfortunately, as several of our members learned this year, one can no longer wait until the last minute to make a Palm Springs Hilton Hotel reservation or expect to obtain a meeting room as a "walk-in." It is, therefore, good news that our Hotel Arrangements and Meeting Director, Dr. Ron Fink has secured an additional ten rooms to be held for us for the upcoming 64th Annual Meeting however, the cut-off date is 30 days prior to meeting (October 19-22, 2007). Those involved with group meeting arrangements recognize that even this is a very generous concession as many large meetings have a cut-off date 2-3 months in advance.

IT IS NOT TOO EARLY TO MAKE YOUR PALM SPRINGS HOTEL RESERVATION FOR NEXT YEAR! In fact, those of us who signed the reservations sheet for next year's meeting have already received a confirmation and have been billed for one night's costs per credit card. The Hilton also has a generous cancellation policy for those who have concern about paying at this time.

Still not convinced the Institute is a great bargain for your continuing education dollars? DO THE MATH! Your editor has just received an invitation to attend the 2-day weekend educational meeting of another state's OMFS society to be held in Orlando, Florida. The Educational Program features a prominent OMS speaking on a contemporary subject for 4 hours per day and 8 CE Credits are available. The conference Hotel room rate (not at Disney World) for the 2-night stay required is $245/ single or double room/night and tuition is $495 for a non-member and $275 for a member. This tuition charge includes two breakfasts and a Saturday evening reception. There is a spouse/guest fee of $50, which apparently includes only the Saturday evening reception, since the breakfast meals are not mentioned. Additionally, there will be representatives from several commercial companies exhibiting their wares, and attendees are encouraged to," Please be sure to visit the exhibit area and support the vendors who help make our meeting possible." The reservations cut-off date is 6 weeks prior to the meeting, and although the hotel is large, the "room rate" cannot be guaranteed past the cut-off date. Need we say more?

Personal Notes

Dr. and Mrs. Boyne recently celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary, for which we all congratulate them, and we were so pleased that Mrs. Mary Anne Boyne was able to be with us at both the Friday and. Saturday evening meals and Reception. At the Opening Dinner, Phil showed a video made at their celebration in which he did his best "Walter Cronkite" impression, interviewing Mary Anne about their sixty years together.

Another member and his wife, Dr. Steve & Jan Fong, celebrated their 35th Wedding Anniversary. Their daughter, Dr. Jennifer Fong, a 2nd year attendee, was also there to help them celebrate.

Condolences to Maxine Plotkin whose mother Mrs. Sylvia Bineman died several weeks prior to our meeting. Mrs. Bineman had attended and enjoyed AIOB meetings for years accompanying her husband, Dr. Solomon, who was a Fellow and long-term supporter of the Institute.

Spotted in the Hilton pool, only during the breaks, of course, were Roxanna and Cyrus Shabahang sporting their new AIOB baseball caps.

Hope everyone enjoyed the Holidays. Our best wishes for the upcoming year. Remember to make your reservations now for the 64th Annual Meeting.

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