The Dentalreach Digital Conference and Awards (DRDCA) 2022-Sports edition took place on 12th & 13th November 2022 and was a huge success with attendees from across the globe. As promised, it became a powerhouse of learning for delegates interested in sports dentistry.
The conference consisted of keynote lectures, panel discussions, practical demonstrations, and breakout sessions on various topics related to sports dentistry. This year’s edition featured a wide range of speakers from across the globe who shared the latest research and developments in the field of sports dentistry.
Our Academic Partner for this event was Indian Society of Sports and Exercise Medicine (ISSEM). Our Sponsor Partner for this event was Group Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India. We are thankful for their support and belief in us!
Day 1- Keynotes- Preventive Sports Dentistry/Pre-Trauma
The day, hosted & moderated by Dr Pallavi Mahajan (Endodontist, Poet & Performer, Delhi, India) started with a keynote lecture on the topic ‘Oral Health and Traumatic Injuries’ by Dr.Swati Karkare (Nasik, India), MDS in Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry. She is the Former Head of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at KBH Dental College and Hospital, Nasik. She gave a brief overview of the pre-disposing factors which makes a child more susceptible to trauma and how to prevent dental trauma in children in the first place. She also explained various treatment options as per the stage of development of the traumatized tooth and various factors that may play an important role in deciding the outcome of the provided treatment.
The co-founder and executive Vice president of the European Association for Sports Dentistry (EA4SD), Dr.Thanos Stamos (Athens, Greece), discussed in detail ‘The Stomatognathic Impact in Sports’ He explained how good oral health and occlusal restorations can have a positive impact on the performance of athletes. For better understanding, he showed real-time pictures of trauma due to sports activities in players and how it affects the entire musculoskeletal system and not the dentition alone.
Dr.Mridula Goswami (Delhi, India), who is a Professor and Head of the Department of Pediatric and Restorative Dentistry at Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, Delhi, threw light on the ‘Impact of Sports drinks on Oral Health of Athletes’ She elaborated on the substantial impact of sports drink consumption on a player’s quality of life. She addressed the misconception among young adults about sports drinks and their effect on their performance for which fancy advertisements in the market are sure to be blamed. It became very clear after her session as to which sports requires the consumption of such drinks and at what time and amount; apart from the detailed side effects on such drinks on oral and general health.
Dr.Stavros Avgerinos (Oberhausen, Germany) explained in detail the ‘Effect of bite correction on performance’. He is the Founder and Honorary President of the German Sports Dentistry Association and also the President of a professional Ice Hockey Club. He took us to an entirely new concept of the central role of the Temporomandibular joint. He explained very well as to how an often ignored ‘wrong bite’ can cause major systemic symptoms like accelerated pulse and an increase in cortisol levels. We understood the entire dentition from a new neurological perspective through his lecture.
Dr.Priya Verma (Dubai) who is the Founder and Secretary General of the Federation of Special Care Dentistry and and author of a book on Special care dentistry, emphasized ‘Dental care for athletes with special needs’. She explained in depth the challenges that a dentist can face while treating such patients and listed various armamentarium that can significantly aid in such a situation. Indications and contra-indications of conscious sedation were discussed along with practical tips for the management of specially-abled patients in real clinic scenario.
Dr.Rajesh Raveendranathan (Bangalore, India), a neuromuscular dentistry specialist and President of the International College of Cranio-Mandibular Orthopedics, India, discussed ‘Pain to Performance with Neuro-muscular Dentistry’. He explained how neuro-muscular dentistry can help an athlete attain a balance posture from head to toe and hence enhance his performance. It was very interesting to know how a simple filling can lead to imbalance and disturbance in posture, when not done properly. He completely reversed our understanding of actual bite recording and cleared our understanding of the right technique to save the patient from chronic pain in the future.
The Day 1-morning session ended well with the inauguration ceremony. Read more about the inauguration in this month’s editorial!
Day 1- Masterclass on Preventive Sports Dentistry/Pre-Trauma
The evening session had an entire 2-hour Masterclass on Sports Dentistry by Dr.Sneha Divekar. Dr Sneha Divekar was the Scientific Chairperson for DRDCA 2022 Sports Dentistry Conference. She is also Faculty – Diploma in Sports Dentistry, ISST, Pune, India and Dental Reach Brand Ambassador [Maharashtra].
The masterclass was hosted & moderated by Dr. Nupur Shrirao (Prosthodontist, Medical Editor & Organising Secretary, DRDCA 2022, Chandigarh, India).
The topics covered in the masterclass were :
- Dentofacial injury – prevalence in sports.
- Introduction to sports dentistry and its aspects.
- What are mouthguards?
- Preventive program for sports dental care.
- How to establish yourself as a sports dentist?
The Masterclass also included a live demonstration.
Dr. Sneha Divekar officially announced the Diploma in Sports Dentistry by ISST Pune, India in association with & co-certified by DentalReach.
According to our feedback report from delegates, the Masterclass was the most liked scientific session! The Day 1 sessions thus ended well with much learning and thoughtful discussions by the delegates and speakers.
Day 2- Keynotes – Curative Sports Dentistry / Post-trauma
The morning session began with an insightful discussion by Dr.Jan Chithalen (Toronto, Canada) on the topic ‘ The role of a Team Dentist’. Dr.Jan is a sports dentist and a Fellow & Board Member of the Academy of Sports Dentistry (ASD), USA. The seminar focused on the timings and procedures necessary for a Team dentist to provide in order to add benefit to the sports team with respect to protection and reaction to injuries. He very well explained diagrammatically how exactly a properly fabricated and placed mouthguard can reduce the impact of any kind of collision to a large extent. He also threw light on various kinds of mouthguards that can be given and indications and contraindications for all of them.
Dr.Vivek Hegde (Pune, India), Professor, and Head of the Department of Endodontics and Vice Dean at Rangoonwala Dental College and Hospital, Pune as well as President of the International Society For Laser Applications (SOLA), India expanded horizons of knowledge regarding a very important topic i.e ‘Complications and Endodontic management in Dental Trauma’. Through a series of clinical cases, he elaborated on the holistic approach to treating a tooth as conservatively as possible. The entire session was based on a basic understanding of focusing on ‘Endodontic therapy’ as a whole and not directly concluding a case with a Root Canal Treatment.
Dr.Shail Jaggi (Pune, India), Former President and Board Member of the Indian Academy of Aesthetic and Cosmetic Dentistry explained how ‘Cosmetic Dental Treatments in Dental Trauma’ patients could help achieve the normal function as well as esthetics. She beautifully explained her non-invasive approach to treating younger trauma patients through various case reports. Slow and predictable dentistry is sure to give long-term results and a more satisfactory clinical practice is what we learned from her entire presentation.
The topic of ‘Implant Rehabilitation in the Anterior Zone Post Sports-Related Trauma’ was covered by Dr.Vinay Kumar (Sweden & Bangalore, India) who is an Oral Reconstructive Surgeon and Implantologist. He depicted practical examples of cases treated for implants after the area was injured during sport activities resulting in tooth loss. He very well explained the factors and techniques to be kept in mind while placing an implant in all three dimensions to obtain an optimum result, especially in an anterior esthetic zone.
Dr.Mallika Reddy (Kolar, India), Professor at KGF College of Dental Sciences and Hospital has special expertise in Maxillofacial trauma and discussed in detail about ‘Management of Maxillofacial Trauma due to Sports Injuries’. She explained how sports with high speed and high impact resulted more in facial bone fractures whereas sports with low speed and low impact ended more in dental injuries. She depicted a panoramic view of treating these injuries by splinting surgical repositioning, and fixation using implants and conservative approaches.
Dr.John Haughey (Dubline, Ireland), an international-level sports dentist at global events like Commonwealth Games from the UCL Eastman London Dental Institute in Ireland threw light on ‘ How to be an International-level Team Dentist for Elite Athletes.’ He explained the multi-dimensional role of a team dentist who is responsible not only for in-clinic and on-field consultations, but also to provide teledentistry options to help a player in need at any part of the globe.
The Day 2-morning session ended well with the award ceremony. Read more about the award ceremony in this month’s editorial!
Day 2- Sports Dentistry Symposium: Live Panel Discussion by Experts
The evening keynote sessions began with a inter-disciplinary discussion on ‘Sports Physiotherapy and its interrelationship with dentistry’ by a renowned sports physiotherapist Dr.Supriya Joshi. It was very interesting to learn how physiotherapy can help in re-habilitation of TMJ issues, muscular spasms, and fractures which in turn can help dentists to treat athletes more effectively for their dental concerns.
This was followed by a very important topic ‘What is the relation between Sports Nutrition and Oral Health?’ by Dr.Geetanjali Bhide who is an experienced sports nutritionist. She emphasized the importance of various macro and micronutrients on the oral health of an athlete. She explained in detail how poor oral health can lead to pain and systemic inflammation and in turn adversely affect the performance of an athlete. She also focused on various dietary recommendations that can be given to athletes for better oral and overall health.
Psychology is an aspect of sports that is often ignored hence we had with us a famous sports psychologist, Ms. Damini Sapre to discuss how a ‘Sportsperson's psychology can affect oral health’. The session began with an interactive activity which clearly explained the importance of mental health although the effects are not immediately visible. She also explained how stress and anxiety in athletes can cause various dental issues and emphasized how a psychologist and dentist can together help an athlete deal with such issues.
The keynote lectures ended with a mind-blowing discussion on ‘ Relation between Sports Medicine, Dentistry and Anti-doping’ by a Sports Medicine Physician, Dr.Kiran K Kulkarni He explained how a dentist is an important part of an injury management team for athletes. He explained in great details about various aspect of doping and gave guidelines which can be helpful for dentists and athletes alike.
A Live Q&A and a live multi-disciplinary Panel discussion took place to address how a sports dentist is a part of the Athlete Health Care Team. It focused on the inter-relationships between various general and oral health of an athlete for his overall well-being and performance. The session was moderated by Dr. Sneha Divekar and marked the end of this summit and the beginning of a new era of Sports Dentistry.
A little something about our academic partner: ISSEM
We are humbled to extend our most sincere gratitude to of our academic partners, the Indian Society of Sports and Exercise Medicine (ISSEM).
Indian Society of Sports and Exercise Medicine (ISSEM) is a national-level registered society for Sports & Exercise Medicine. The society has now been expanded to include all the professionals in the field of Sports-Exercise Medicine & Sciences, and related allied fields recognizing the multi- and inter-disciplinary nature of Sports & Exercise Medicine. ISSEM boasts of being the only national-level society in the country with recognized specialists in the field of Sports & Exercise Medicine.
ISSEM is working constantly for fitness and sports for all, and to make the country healthy, fit and the best in the world of sports and human performance. To know more about them, you can visit their website: https://www.issem.in/
We were fortunate enough also to have with us, Dr.Gagan Kumar Banodhe, MBBS, MD, DS Treasurer of the Indian Society of Sports and Exercise Medicine (ISSEM) as our Guest of Honor at the Inauguration event.
Special Thank You to our Sponsors: Group Pharmaceuticals
We would like to express our utmost gratitude to the generous sponsors, GROUP PHARMACEUTICALS for their contribution. Our sponsors made it possible for us to provide an extensive program that covered all aspects of sports dentistry from prevention to treatment plans – all in one virtual platform.
Group Pharma has always been at the forefront of oral care innovations, committed to bringing the best oral care science to India. To support their innovations and quest to be India’s best, they have collaborated with renowned international institutions like the University of Colombia, Queen Mary University, and Imperial College, and the apex national dental association of India – Indian Dental Association (IDA).
They are in the process of upgrading their entire product range to make them SLS and parabens-free. This will make them safer for patients and our environment alike. You can find the entire range of their products on the website: https://www.grouppharma.com/
Our second Guest of Honor at the inauguration of the conference was the extremely supportive Mr Laxmikant Sugandhi, Associate Vice President, Dental Division, Group Pharmacueticals Ltd.Group Pharma also sponsored the special prizes for our DR Brand Ambassadors awards.
The backstage gang
The people who made this conference possible! Read more about them here!
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