Fifth EAS congress maintains trajectory of growth

Nathalie Schüller, Dental Tribune International

Wed. 6 March 2024

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VALENCIA, Spain: This year marks the tenth year since the founding of the European Aligner Society (EAS) to provide information on aligner therapy to clinicians. Its congress, aimed at disseminating advancements in aligner technology, has continued to attract growing attendance, from 300 participants at the first EAS congress, held in 2016, to an impressive 1,310 at the fifth congress, held last week at the futuristic Valencia Conference Centre. This year, dental professionals came to the event from 69 countries, even as far as Vietnam and New Zealand, proof of the congress’s growing reputation for excellence, and 39 speakers accepted the invitation to present during the comprehensive three-day programme.

The first day included a session for orthodontic teams. The first speaker, management and productivity expert Jerko Bozikovic, offered tools on how to be efficient and manage stress to avoid burn-out. Speaking next, on achieving practice efficiency with aligners, Dr Iro Eleftheriadi, senior clinical specialist at Align Technology, said that aligners are the present and future of orthodontics, continuous advancements in the field bringing new incredible possibilities for treatment. The importance of digital workflows in interdisciplinary orthodontic treatment was highlighted by both Dr Andrea Bazzucchi, an Italian dentist who teaches widely on the use of Invisalign, and Dr Rooz Khosravi, a clinical associate professor at the University of Washington in the US, who focused on the role of 3D printing in supporting interdisciplinary collaboration, which is increasingly needed as more patients are seeking orthodontic care.

Also held on the first day was a new congress feature, the AlignerLab Innovation Village, which gave delegates the opportunity to meet industry experts and attend workshops and masterclasses on specific aspects of treatment and become familiar with new products and services being offered by companies operating in the aligner space. These and others also participated in the specialist exhibition, presenting their products and innovations. Some of the topics addressed were finding efficient solutions to challenges clinicians face, using shape memory aligners and taking an evidence-based approach for increased efficiency and predictability.

Impressions of the congress

The fifth EAS congress was hosted at the Valencia Conference Centre. (Image: EAS)

Jerko Bozikovic's lecture focused on managing stress and time effectively to achieve efficiency and balance, both personally and professionally. (Image: EAS)

At the exhibition, attendees had the opportunity to test and try the latest products in aligner therapy. (Image: EAS)

Through numerous lectures and workshops, the event aimed to enhance knowledge and clinical skills in aligner orthodontics for clinicians worldwide. (Image: Dental Tribune International)

DentalMonitoring is a pioneer of artificial intelligence in oral care. (Image: Dental Tribune International)

Align Technology is the main sponsor of the event. (Image: Dental Tribune International)

Left to right: Jerko Bozikovic, Iro Eleftheriadi, Andrea Bazzucchi, Gina Theodoridis, Rooz Khozravi and Lina Craven. (Image: Dental Tribune International)

(Image: EAS)

Dr Andrea Bazzucchi teaches widely on the use of Invisalign. (Image: EAS)

From left to right, Jerko Bozikovic, Dr Iro Eleftheriadi, Dr Andrea Bazzucchi, Dr Rooz Khozravi, Dr Lina Craven and Dr Gina Theodoridis. (Image: EAS)

Dr Leslie Joffe executive secretary of the EAS, was delighted for yet another successful congress. (Image: EAS)

Dr Jose Gandia, president of the fifth EAS congress, gave the opening address in front of a full auditorium. (Image: EAS)

Dr Gina Theodoridis, was the scientific chairperson of the congress and will be the president of the sixth congress in May 2025 in Rhodes, Greece. (Image: EAS)

The AWorld App by the United Nations, aims to inspire and support individuals in embracing a sustainable lifestyle. (Image: Dental Tribune International)

From left to right: Dr Tommaso Castroflorio, immediate EAS past president, Dr Gina Theodoridis, EAS scientific chairperson and EAS president Dr Jose Gandia. (Image: EAS)

Delegates during one of the plenary sessions. (Image: EAS)

Dr Tommaso Castroflorio, president of the fourth EAS congress, reminded the delegates that technology is a tool and that biomechanics principles are the pillars on which a successful therapy is based on. (Image: EAS)

Dr David Raickovic focused on aligner biomechanics, with an emphasis on anchorage assembly and the sequence of movements. (Image: EAS)

From left to right: Drs Kamy Malekian, Juan Carlos Perez Varela, Tommaso Castroflorio, Gina Theodoridis, Manuel Roman, Arturo Vela, Jose Gandia, Ki Beom Kim and Chris Laspos. (Image: EAS)

The 2024 Honorary members. From left to right: Drs Nikhilesh Vaid, Juan Carlos Rivero Lesmes and Leslie Joffe. (Image: EAS)

Eighteen physicians were awarded the clinical excellence certificate. (Image: EAS)

The City of Arts and Sciences is one of the most visited site in Valencia. (Image: EAS)

On the second day of the congress, EAS President Dr Jose Gandia and scientific chairperson of the fifth EAS congress Dr Gina Theodoridis gave the opening address. Dr Theodoridis told the audience that EAS is committed to advancing the knowledge and practice of aligner orthodontics towards greater quality of care and successful treatment outcomes. The goal of the plenary sessions, she told the audience, was to highlight science rather than products.

That day’s plenary sessions dealt with the themes of “The next level of aligner orthodontics” and “Growing patients and early treatment”. In his lecture on aligner orthodontics of the future, Dr Chris Laspos, an orthodontist specialist in craniofacial malformation, told the audience that “there are no complex cases, only questions of good planning” and that it is important to focus on the fundamentals of care and to spend time on planning cases in detail employing the digital technologies available. Speaking on biomechanics in aligner treatment, Dr Tommaso Castroflorio, a founding member of EAS, said that it is essential to be familiar with the aligner material’s physical properties, for optimal planning and successful treatment outcomes. Dr Ki Beom Kim, orthodontic programme director at Saint Louis University in the US, talked about the integration of in-house aligner printing using shape memory polymers, which enhance precision and reduce errors. The day’s final speaker, London orthodontist Dr David Raickovic, went over planning for successfully treating growing patients who have Class II malocclusion. He advised that, for efficiency and precision, it is important to know the principles of tooth movement and anchorage and to develop one’s own methods to apply these principles. One of the tips he gave was to consider that the planned movements can only be efficient if the anchorage itself is efficient.

The themes of the plenary sessions on the final day were “Auxiliaries and skeletal anchorage” and “Aligners, periodontics and surgery”. A recurring topic in the presentations was maxillary expansion to improve breathing. US orthodontist Dr Ilya Lipkin discussed treating challenging cases using miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE) and aligners. MARPE can be used as an adjunct in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea and to improve breathing.

In his presentation, Tunisian orthodontist Dr Skander Ellouze explored when optimal outcomes can be achieved with aligners and when not. According to him, most published studies show that fixed appliances are far more efficient and accurate than aligners are, but what can be achieved with aligners is “mind-blowing”. He demonstrated, for example, that aligners are more suited for opening the airway, using the case of a patient with sleep apnoea, and that aligners show biomechanical superiority in treating excessive gingival display. He encouraged making a clear and honest assessment of which treatment modality is suited for the particular case and that might include a combination of both.

The congress was also an opportunity for recognition. Established to promote clinical excellence, EAS’s European Board of Aligner Orthodontics (EBAO) this year nominated three honorary members: Dr Juan Carlos Rivero Lesmes, a founding member of EAS and one of the first to lecture at university on aligner treatment; Dr Nikhilesh Vaid, president of the World Federation of Orthodontists; and Dr Leslie Joffe, CEO and executive secretary of EAS. For the second year, the EBAO Clinical Excellence Award was granted to 18 clinicians who passed the requisite examination. The certificate for best case was given to Austrian orthodontist Dr Claudia Pinter, who also spoke on treatment of transverse maxillary deficiency at the congress. First prize for the poster competition went to Drs Shizuka Funahashi, Kinji Amano and Hisao Murakami from Japan.

It was advised that the sixth EAS congress will take place in Rhodes in Greece on 22–24 May 2025. Dr Theodoridis also announced EAS’s first online webinar, titled “CBCT diagnosis of the alveolar processes for orthodontic treatment planning”. Oral and maxillofacial radiology consultant Dr Dania Tamimi will be presenting the webinar on 3 April, and it will be available for EAS members only.