Why dental students and residents should prioritize AO meeting attendance

Dental students and residents should attend the Academy of Osseointegration (AO) meeting. It’s an excellent opportunity to see who is pushing the envelope in implant dentistry for the future. The meeting is also a great way to get caught up on the latest surgical and restorative implant technologies and techniques.ADDITIONAL READING |Protecting young clinicians' license to practice and reducing legal exposure in dental implant cases

A young dentist needs to be prepared to manage patients’ expectations. Discussing the different treatment options with patients and educating them to make the best informed decision is the dentist’s responsibility. He or she should be prepared to answer questions about information the patient obtained doing their own research from the Internet.

Fees are affordable on a student budget
The 31st Annual Meeting is set for February 17–20, 2016, in San Diego. Students and residents can register to attend at on the AO website.

Here’s a tip for students and residents: If you’re not an AO member, it’s actually a better deal to become a member (only $95) and get the registration rate for the meeting than to pay nonmember registration fees. Plus, then you receive all of the other member benefits, including a subscription to JOMI and access to the new AO Webinar Series. Click here to become a member.

Learn first-hand from leading dental experts
At the AO meeting, students and residents can get a sense of what is currently the standard of care. They also get a better sense of what treatment options are available. Leading dental professionals discuss their clinical decision-making, highlight new surgical/restorative methods, and demonstrate today's digital workflows.

For those considering attending the meeting, it’s important to have a game plan to maximize your time. I recommend researching beforehand the activities and lectures that will be most beneficial. The AO provides a number of ways to plan the experience at the event and to make the most of attendees’ time. Whether you use your registration packet, the AO meeting website, or the AO app, make sure to have a strategy.

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Free mobile app for planning
I felt the AO downloadable app was very useful in planning my days at the meeting. There are so many things happening at the same time, I used the AO app to plan my day and make sure I didn't miss anything.

It is great to have family along for the trip, too, if that’s an option. My father-in-law is a maxillofacial prosthodontist in San Diego, Harold Gulbransen, DDS. So my wife, son, and my parents-in-law all traveled to San Francisco for the last meeting. It was a good excuse to get the family together and give the grandparents some time with their grandson.

Harold and I attended the meeting while my wife, son, and mother-in-law had fun in San Francisco. They enjoyed the park and the children's center at the Moscone Center. They explored China Town and the Wharf. At the end of each day, we explored the city together, ate some great food, and saw the sites. It was St. Patrick’s Day that weekend, too, so we also enjoyed parade as well.

Follow AO on Facebook and Twitter using #AOSanDiego to stay up-to-date.

Dr. Scott Recksiedler is a maxillofacial prosthetics fellow at UCLA School of Dentistry in the Division of Advanced Prosthodontics.