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Queensland

The calendar of events concluded in 2011 with theOctober half-day meeting. A new format was trialled witha series of table clinics being run simultaneously. Eachpresenter gave a 10-min presentation to each group withtime for questions after each mini presentation. Then thegroup moved to the next table for another presentation.There were eight table presentations.

Dr Applegarth presented on rotary instrumentation. DrDalton provided a presentation on cone beam tomogra-phy. Dr Ford discussed treatment of deciduous pulps. DrGervais provided information on the use of posts. Profes-sor Ivanovski lectured on implants. Dr Kahler gave apresentation on trauma and Dr Smith talked about irri-gation techniques.

This arrangement of presentations worked very well.In the space of an afternoon, a diverse range of topicswere covered with plenty of opportunity to ask ques-tions in a comfortable manner. The afternoon did testthe stamina of the presenters who each discussed theirtopic eight times. All presenters were capably up to thetask.

The lecture programme for 2012 is looking excellent.To begin the year in February, Dr Sara Firouzabadi will betalking to the Queensland branch members. Sara will begiving a presentation on her recent visit to Iran, andpresenting on her research into endodontic referral pat-terns. Sara will also be discussing the use of anti-inflammatory pastes in endodontics.

Then in May, Dr Marcel Mangelsdorf will entertain thesociety sharing with us his recent experiences on hismotorcycling adventure. Dr Danielle Layton will then bepresenting her comprehensive knowledge of the progno-sis of treatment in dentistry.

Ian DaviesState Correspondent

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New South WalesThe scientific programme for 2011 finished with a full-day seminar entitled ‘Practical Tips in the Managementand Treatment of Endodontic Patients’. The speakerswere Professor Rick Walton, Dr Chankhrit Sathorn andDr Alan Nerwich.

Professor Walton is a well-known international speakerand author; his textbook ‘Endodontics: Principles and Prac-

tice of Endodontics’ is now in its fourth edition. From hiswealth of knowledge, Professor Walton concentrated onthe topics of ‘Diagnosis and Management of the AcuteEndodontic Emergencies and Challenges in Anaesthetis-ing the Endodontic Patient’.

The Barry Barker Memorial Lecture – an annual lecturesince 1982 – was delivered by Dr Chankhrit Sathorn onthe topic of single endodontic treatment. This year’slecture was especially relevant as it was the 30th anni-versary of the untimely death of Barry Barker. ProfessorRoland Bryant delivered some incisive anecdotes andmemorable moments about his life in what academicsagree was a brilliant yet short-lived career of the lateProfessor Barry Barker.

Finally, Dr Alan Nerwich captivated the audience withthe current use of microscopes, especially in the identifi-cation of canals and in the surgical management of cases,which in the past would have been extracted.

The 2012 programme begins with the 200th GeneralMeeting and 51st Annual General Meeting as well ascelebrating the 45th anniversary of affiliation with theAustralian Society of Endodontology (Australia). DrSteve Cohn will take us on a trip down memory lane,while the speaker for the night, Dr Daniel Felman, willlook towards ‘The Future of Endodontics’.

The remaining lecture series are the following:• Wednesday, 16 May: ‘The Dentine Pulpal PeridontiumContinuum’, A/Professor Axel Spahr, periodontist• Wednesday, 15 August: ‘The Barry Barker MemorialLecture: The Current State of Irrigation in Endodontics’,A/Professor Peter Cathro, endodontist• Wednesday, 14 November: ‘Endodontics Simplified’, DrDavid Barnard, Dr Omar Ikram, Dr Peter Case, Dr TimCastrissos, endodontists

Vincent BlefariState Correspondent

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VictoriaOn 26 October 2011, Rick Walton from the University ofIowa presented a half-day session, along with ChankritSathorn from Melbourne and Alan Nerwich from Sydney.The meeting was held at the Grand Hyatt in CollinsStreet, Melbourne, followed by a brief annual generalmeeting with drinks afterwards. Rick spoke mainly onmanagement of the apical third of root canals, and also onanaesthesia. He has a great historical perspective after

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several decades of teaching endodontics, and it is amazinghow much has changed over the years. This reallyemphasised the importance of continuing education.Chankrit covered evidence-based research methodology,with lively references to his family’s purchasing habitsand other non-clinical decision making. In conclusion, hereminded us that even when the available data are notperfect, if they are the best data possible at the time, thenwe should use them to guide our clinical decisions. Alangave a wonderful presentation of what is possible with amicroscope in endodontics, and demonstrated an excel-lent standard of clinical care.

The programme for 2012 has been published, andincludes Daniel Feldman lecturing on vital pulp manage-ment on 7 March at University House, and then theadvanced NiTi course at Kooyong Tennis Club on 25 May.An oral surgeon from Adelaide, Andrew Cheng will talkon 1 August about treatment planning for patients takingbisphosphonates. Please note that his evening lecture willbe at The Windsor Hotel in Spring Street, not at Univer-sity House. Finally, John McNamara will lecture onlitigation in endodontics on 10 October, this time at Uni-versity House again. Of course, the main AustralianSociety of Endodontology event of this year will be thebiannual Trans-Tasman Endodontic Conference, this timeheld at the Gold Coast between 21 and 23 June. Moredetails are available at http://www.tteconference.comand I urge everyone to register as it will be a very edu-cational and enjoyable event.

Martin GaleState Correspondent

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South AustraliaThe South Australian Branch 2011 programme concludedwith our Annual General Meeting and a research presen-tation from final year postgraduate endodontic student,Dr Mark Stenhouse. Despite a seemingly dry topic ‘Theeffect of rapid and slow external pH increases on E. faeca-lis’, Dr Stenhouse provided us with an entertaining pre-sentation that also drew record numbers. Dr Stenhousedemonstrated the survival of E. faecalis in a high-pH envi-ronment, and also showed that slow rises in pH comparedto rapid rises were not more likely to create an adaptiveresponse of E. faecalis as has previously been speculated.We wish Mark well with his move to Canberra.

A stimulating 2012 lecture programme for the SouthAustralian Branch will start on the 28th of February witha presentation from local endodontist, Dr Paul Heijkoop.With a plethora of new canal preparation systems on themarket, it is becoming increasingly difficult for clinicians

to decipher genuine improvements from marketing

jargon. Dr Heijkoop will provide a practical review of thecurrently available systems.

Our second meeting will feature a presentation fromlocal prosthodontist, Dr Cos Maiolo, who will discussseveral key links between prosthodontics and endodontictreatment.

Dr Bill Kahler, a Brisbane endodontist, will present atour third meeting on his special interest in surgical endo-dontics. With a range of new materials and techniques, itis timely to review the success of surgical endodontics,and its place in treatment planning.

The final meeting for 2012 will once again feature apresentation from our final year endodontic postgraduatestudent.

Combined with the 3rd Tran-Tasman Endodontic Con-ference in June, 2012 will be filled with high-qualityendodontic continuing education.

Jonathan ChristoState Correspondent

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Western AustraliaThe WA Branch was very busy during the latter part of2011. The Trauma Symposium was held at the end ofSeptember. This meeting was arranged in conjunctionwith the Australian and New Zealand Society of Paediat-ric Dentistry (WA Branch) and was held at the UniversityClub of Western Australia. Dr Yee-Sang Welten, one ofour most active members, was the convenor of this verysuccessful event. More than 200 people attended andenjoyed a series of diverse lectures related to dentoalveo-lar trauma.

In November, we had the opportunity to listen to DrStephen Harlamb, endodontist from Sydney who came toexamine the final year postgraduate student in the Doctorof Clinical Dentistry (Endodontics) programme, DrPantea Motearefi, who successfully passed her examina-tions. Dr Harlamb presented two lectures to the Branchregarding the legal aspects in endodontics. The attendeesenjoyed the afternoon, and the question and answersession at the end was very enlightening with much dis-cussion (Fig. 1).

At the beginning of December, three of our memberspresented a hands-on course about three differentsystems for canal preparation: Winthrop Professor PaulAbbott, Dr Ray Heffer and Dr Siang Hsu. The participantshad the opportunity to look, try and compare the threedifferent systems: Hedström files, MTwo and ProTaper.The full-day course was held at the Oral Health Centre ofWestern Australia and Dr Ray Heffer was the convenor of

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the course, which resulted in great feedback from theattendees. The limited attendance course made the dayalmost a one-to-one contact with the presenters and thismade the sessions very active and effective.

The Australian Society of Endodontology (ASE) WABranch was very happy to know that the winner of the

undergraduate international ASE Essay Competition onthe topic ‘There are various factors that affect the healingof the pulp and periradicular tissues following accidentaltrauma to a tooth. Discuss these factors and how theyaffect the management of traumatised teeth’ was a Uni-versity of Western Australia (UWA) fourth year studentMr Bayan Habibi. Once again, with Bayan winning thisessay, the School of Dentistry at UWA continues to dem-onstrate a very strong programme in endodontics in theundergraduate dental course. Congratulations to Bayanwho will be formally presented with the prize at the nextAnnual General Meeting (AGM) on 22 February 2012.

This year looks exciting with the first dinner meeting,the AGM, to be held at the University Club of WesternAustralia on 22 February featuring Dr Giampiero Rossi,endodontist from the Eastman Dental Institute, Univer-sity College, London. Giampiero will be presenting alecture entitled ‘Enhancing success through irrigation’.

Once again, many thanks to all of our members whocontinue to support the Branch and a very special thankyou to the committee members who have given a lot oftheir time and contributed to the successful meetings andactivities of the Branch.

Jacky CastroState Correspondent

Figure 1 Dr Arna-Lee Jensen, Dr Siang Hsu, Winthrop Prof. Paul Abbott,

Dr Stephen Harlamb, Assoc. Prof. Jacky Castro and Assoc. Prof. Christine

Yu after the November meeting.

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Australian Endodontic Journal © 2012 Australian Society of Endodontology