NEWS Vietnam

“2021 NCKU-UMP INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DIGITAL DENTISTRY”

Digital dentistry refers to the use of dental technologies or devices that incorporate digital or computer-controlled components to carry out dental procedures rather than using mechanical or electrical tools. The use of digital dentistry can make carrying out dental procedures more efficient than using mechanical tools, both for restorative as diagnostic purposes.

More and more people are beginning to pay attention to their dental health, which accelerates and expands the dental market and is definitely a growth area for dental services. There is also growing competition among dental practices, and whoever can provide the best quality patient service will have a place. That’s why it is vital for dental labs and clinics to go digital. Moreover, against the backdrop of the global epidemic, digital workflows are safer and more hygienic than traditional workflows. Patients around the world will be more inclined to choose those clinics that use digital technology.

National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) always caught up with the latest trend and with the mission of spreading and connecting with other countries in the world. With the goal of sharing the core of knowledge about Digital Dentistry, especially applications in dentistry from many specialists of Taiwan, Vietnam and the United States. The NCKU Overseas Hub in Vietnam (NCKU OH) cooperates with the Faculty of Odonto-Stomatology (FOS), University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City (UMP) and School of Dentistry, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) will organize an online conference on Digital Dentistry with the theme: "2021 NCKU-UMP International Conference on Digital Dentistry". Representatives of the Conference's organizers include: Prof. Shu-Fen Chuang – Chairman, School of Dentistry, NCKU; Dr. Hoang Trong Hung – Vice Dean, Faculty of Odonto-Stomatology, UMP, Ms. Tzu-Yu Huang – Office for International Affairs, NCKU and Dr. Ngo Thi Minh Hien – Director of NCKU Overseas Hub in Vietnam.

An extremely special point of this Event is that NCKU OH will provide the certificates which are authenticated by the Organizer to all participants.

In the Conference, there are 2 sessions that will be held at the same time: Practitioner Session & Student Session. The delegated guests of Practitioner Session were: Prof. Jean-Marc Retrouvey – Chairman, Department of Orthodontics, University of Missouri, Kansas City; Dr. Meng-Yen Chen - Attending Surgeon, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, NCKU Hospital; Dr. Wei-Hung He - Director of Operative Dentistry training center and Digital Esthetic Dentistry center of Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital; Dr. Nguyen Meo - Faculty of Odonto – Stomatology, UMP; Dr. Tran Thanh Phong – Kaiyen Dental Clinic and CDT. Chien-Ming Kang, MS. - Chief Technical Director of Huayi (Taipei) Dental Lab.

In the Student Session, the delegated guests were: Dr. Huynh Cong Nhat Nam; Dr. Tran Thi Hai Phung; Dr. Nguyen Dang Khoa; Dr. Nguyen Ho Quynh Anh; Dr. Nguyen Hung Khanh from Faculty of Odonto – Stomatology, UMP; Dr. Tran Thi Ngoc Trang, Dr. Iris Yi-Chen Hsu - National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Dr. Ting-Wen Lai – School of Dentistry, NCKU. This session has 12 students from FOS (UMP) share their study in the Dental field.

 Speakers of the Practitioner Session and Student Session

Based on the survey pre-event, this Conference: “2021 NCKU-UMP International Conference on Digital Dentistry” has attracted nearly 700 participants from the world such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia with many different occupations as Students, University Staff, Dentistry Clinic, Hospital, Industry and Government. This is such an amazing number. Vietnam reached the majority of the number of people who register a form. The event got the strong support from UMP, School of Dentistry-NCKU, NCKU OH in Malaysia which promoted this Conference through website and email. Students took the highest proportion of participants (53%), furthermore, people belonging from the Dental Clinic (20%), University Staff (19%), Industry and even Government had been recorded as a considerable amount.

In the beginning, the “Opening Remark” was started with the speech of Dr. Minh Hien - Director of NCKU OH in Vietnam.  Dr. Minh Hien expressed her appreciation to the FOS (UMP), School of Dentistry, OIA- NCKU and Prof. Retrouvey for the big support to the Conference. Vice Dean of FOS - Dr. Hoang Trong Hung and Dean of School of Dentistry (NCKU) - Prof. Shu-Fen Chuang showed the important role of the Digital Dentistry in the 4.0 era and the International collaboration crossing the countries boundary. Prof. Chuang and Dr. Hung would hope that it will have more and more international events that are co - organized by the 2 Institutions. Prof. Chuang would like to have more students from UMP to join in NCKU in the future. Prof. Retrouvey emphasized the important role of 3D printing technology in contemporary society as well as many applications, especially in orthodontics.

 Following the schedule are the 2 parallel sessions: Practitioner Session and Student Session. In the Practitioner session, Prof. Retrouvey started with the topic: “3D in Orthodontics: More than just aligners”. He is a RCDC (Royal College of Dentists of Canada) examiner, an NDEB advisor and member of the AAO, the American College of Dentists, The Angle East Society of Orthodontist, a Fellow in the Académie Dentaire du Quebec and the past president of the Canadian Association of Orthodontists. As a teacher, he has received the McGill Dental Society, the Wood, Katz and Silverstone awards for excellence in teaching. Prof. Retrouvey also received the Bravo award for his involvement at McGill in teaching and research at McGill University. He is also involved with HVO (Health Volunteer Overseas) in the development of blended teaching programs for emerging countries and is president of the International Foundation for Dental Education, a nonprofit organization offering orthodontic courses. Prof. Retrouvey shared his goal in his presentation is to build a program focused on “Tradition through Innovation”. Digital treatment planning, in house aligner therapy, 3D printing and the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning has been shared to the participant. He expressed that clinical orthodontics will remain a strong component of the orthodontic specialty program and will evolve with new technologies.

Next is the part of: “Bonded partial restorations in both endodontic and restorative aspects” from Dr. Wei-Hung He. Dr. He started by introducing the Bonded Porcelain/Partial Restoration (BPR) that is very important material in the implant. Dr. He expressed that the BPR must be differentiated from traditional cemented crows, especially regarding the retention and resistance form. The basics for digital treatment planning have been showed by 2D-3D superimposition, 3D-3D superimposition, duplicating morphology, and precisely correcting esthetics.

The Conference in the afternoon started with the presentation about: “Computer assisted Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in NCKU hospital” from Dr. Meng-Yen Chen. Dr. Chen introduced the “landmark free” computerized method called Optimal Symmetry Plane (OSP) system to evaluate the symmetry of facial skeleton. By using the matching OSP analysis, his group in NCKU tried to identify the spatial direction of the midface and the mandible in three dimensions. During treatment planning of above cases, their team adjusted the dental cast on the articulator, virtual bone segments with OSP moves to corresponding position on screen. Orthodontists can foresee the occlusion on the articulator, oral surgeons can predict facial profile on the computer. It’s truly theintegration of virtual reality.

For the case with extensive rotation of the mandible, modified osteotomy and bone grafting could be planned in advance. For some cases, structure asymmetry of the mandible could be found, and bony trimming can be eliminated after mandible realignment. For the patient with nose deviation, the final facial midline could be adjusted to meet the facial harmony.

Continuously, the speech entitled: “The full digital workflow in fixed implant prosthodontics” was instructed by Dr. Nguyen Meo. Dr. Meo showed the case studies that have been successfully treated. By using the scanning, software, surgery, and Laboratory allow for the accurate, efficient and predictable treatment. Dr. Meo also notices that the selection of an appropriate workflow for a given clinical situation is extremely important. It will reduce errors at each step of theprocess, cost-effective, accurate, flapless surgery, reduce surgical time, minimize postoperative complication, and improve patient comfort. Dr. Tran Thanh Phong introduced “Full-Arch Challenges and Solutions: Digital Advancement in Full-Arch Implant”. In Dr. Phong’s speech, several case studies in the FP1 (no pink); FP2 (long teeth) and FP3 (artificial pink) in the restoration were shared to the viewers. Dr. Phong noticed that the digital amplifier plays an important role in the implant, that including: small and lightweight patient focus scanner, comprehensive solution for successful digital implant planning, efficient outsourced solutions for the surgical guide and restoration, 3D printers, the highspeed handpiece and the CAD/CAM system.

The remaining schedule is the presentation from CDT. Chien Ming Kang. CDT. Kang started to introduce the role of Zirconia and the procedure of Zirconia restoration in the Laboratory from the scanning design to milling, sintering, firing cycle until finish, all of the process in 2 hour and 50 mins. CDT. Kang also introduced the evolution of zirconia restoration - the new design type of full ceramic restoration from the surface treatment, 1^stbake, 2^nd bake, shape adjustment, stain/glaze and polish. The new technique brings precise, stable, high permeability, more excellent anti-wear performance, etc.

Following the schedule in the Student Session is the topic: “10 secrets to be a digital dental student in new era” from Dr. Huynh Cong Nhat Nam and Dr. Tran Thi Ngoc Trang. Those are “Don’t just press the button”; “Inter-link”; “Be curious”; “Evidence-based studying”; “Self-study”; “English”; “Respect the pass”; “Forward the future”; “Practice makes perfect” and “Begin with the end in mind”. The message that brings is sharing the basics of becoming a Digital Dentist. Dr. Nam and Dr. Trang hope their presentation can inspire those interested in the field of Digital Dentistry.

Next is the part of “Basic Panorama of Dental CAD/CAM Restorative System” from St. Tran Thi Cuc Phuong and St. Tran Thi Thuy Tien. St. Phuong shares the history of CAD/CAM technology. St. Tien presents the topic of CAD/CAM technology in dentistry including 3 parts: 1. Information collection by different scanning technologies; 2. 3D Design (CAD); 3. Crafting (CAM). At the end of the topic, the participants learned more about the digital dental workflow and an overview of some of the CAD/CAM systems on the market today.

St. Nguyen Le Duy and St. Nguyen Ngoc Hoang Oanh share the topic “Basic smile design in Digital Dentistry” in the next part. With this topic, the audience gets to know: What is digital smile design (DSD); How DSD has developed; Software - Which one we use to design and Procedure - How do we do DSD. The DSD procedure, specifically the design procedure on 2D images, includes 3 basic steps: Data Collection; Digital Design and Design Simulation have been introduced.

Then, Dr. Ting-Wen Lai from NCKU shared with participants the topic “Examination of refractive index of dental composites and its influence on color difference with enamel at the restoration margins”. In the presentation of Dr. Lai, Dr. Nguyen Ho Quynh Anh supported the translation for the participants. Dr. Lai introduced the advantages and limitations of resin composite restorations and solutions. Dr. Lai also dedicated some case studies that have successfully treated in NCKU recently.

The last presentation of the morning was "Applying Augmented Reality Technology in Dental Education" by Dr. Iris Yi Chen-Hsu from NYCU and Dr. Tran Thi Ngoc Trang is the translator. Dr. Iris introduced an application named RISAR, which is created by her lab in NYCU to participants. The outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 has transformed medical care from experiment to daily life, pushing medical care to be more technological. There are about 66,92% of people using mobile devices in the world today. Mobile health or m-Health as medical and public practice supported by mobile devices, such as mobile phone, patient monitoring devices, personal digital assistant (PDAs), and other wireless devices.

After lunch break, the Conference continued with the topic “Mystery of shade in dentistry” presented by Dr. Tran Hai Phung and Dr. Nguyen Dang Khoa. Dr. Phung explains how the environment affects color in dentistry and the advantages of VITA 3D-Master color chart compared to VITA classical color chart. Color comparison by color chart is an emotional method, so the accuracy is not high. Dr. Khoa introduced the digital colorimetric method and how to use spectral colorimetric devices.

The next part in a schedule is the topic “Ceramic Material in Digital Dentistry” shared by St. Tran Chi Nguyen and St. Nguyen Dinh Minh Nhat. The ceramic materials refer to pressed, fired, polished or milled materials containing predominantly inorganic refractory compounds including porcelains, glasses, ceramics and glass-ceramics. Based on the Compositions classification system, St. Nhat introduced 3 types of the Ceramic Materials in dentistry: Polycrystalline; Glass-Matrix; Resin-Matrix.

Next, Dr. Nguyen Ho Quynh Anh and Dr. Nguyen Hung Khanh shared with participants the topic “Learning Dental Anatomy in Digital Era”. Most students are not interested in dental anatomy class. Dr. Quynh Anh and Dr. Hung Khanh shared how to make learning Dental Anatomy more interesting by digitizing learning methods instead of learning in the traditional way. By using free apps on the smartphone, digital drawing or digital images when using electronic cameras to capture images instead of using sketches, students can have a visual image and remember information better. A source of information that helps students learn more effectively is the digital library. Virtual anatomy education is the only way to continue learning in the pandemic situation.

Next is the part of “Basic Overview of Hybrid Dental Ceramic” from St. Tran Nguyen Loc and St. Nguyen Thi Le Hong. The purpose of the presentation is to introduce structure, properties, indications, and fabrication technique hybrid dental ceramics. Hybrid ceramics are also known as PICN: Polymer-Infiltrated Ceramic Network. The disadvantages of Ceramics and Resins materials such as: Elastic modulus closer to dentin than ceramics; Comparable flexural strength and toughness to high-performance glass-ceramics; Property of absorbing masticatory forces, which can be particularly valuable for crowns on implants have been described.

The last presentation of the Student Session is the topic “Overview of CAD/CAM Digital Complete Denture” from St. Ho Si Tin and St. Pham Dinh Thien Khai. Through the presentation, participants have an overview of Complete Denture; Current workflow systems; Protocol for digital RCD. Some of the advantages of Digital Denture over Conventional Denture such as: less chairside time, 1-2 hours for acquiring patient’s information, fabrication fees comparable, data storage for future treatments, no polymerization shrinkage (milling), and less residual monomer/ more hydrophobic have been introduced to the participants.

The Conference came to an end with the Closing remarks of the Vice Dean of FOS – Dr. Hoang Trong Hung and the Chairman of School of Dentistry – Prof. Shu Fen Chuang. Prof. Chuang and Dr. Hung once again expressed their gratitude to all participants and speakers who had joined this Event. Prof. Chuang hoped that the physical conference or physical workshop could be organized to bring more opportunities for practicing instead of the virtual event. Prof. Chuang mentioned that the conference had brought much valuable knowledge and connected with people around the world.

This Conference occurred in one day on November 21st. Some outstanding results of this Conference:

• Vietnam Hub got the huge attention from viewers and participants in both Cisco Webex platform and FB page;
• On Cisco Webex, 283 participants joined in the event, the video livestream on FB attracted 4.666 people and got 2.987 views in less than 24 hours. Not only in Vietnam and Taiwan, the conference was attracted by the number of viewers from other countries such as the United States, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, France, Germany, Thailand, Ethiopia and Indonesia.
• Updated and enhanced the Digital Knowledge for all the participants;
• Created a Virtual platform for all of the participants not only in Vietnam, Taiwan but also in other countries around the world. 

The group photo of the conference

Viewer’s countries from Cisco and FB