ASE PRE-CONGRESS

MEETING PERTH

2025

Date: Wednesday 7th May 2025

Venue: Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, Perth, Australia Level 2, Room 8

For more details and registration, please click on the link below 

ASE PRECONGRESS MEETING PERTH 2025 | Australian Society of Endodontology

Our presenters 

Lecture Title: Orthodontics in patients with a history of trauma

Prof Mithran Goonewardene
BDSc (Hons) (UWA) MMedSc (Harvard) CertOrtho. (Harvard/Forsyth) FICD, FADI

Summary: A significant number of patients with a history of dental trauma seek orthodontic treatment. Dr Goonewardene will present current research findings exploring the impact of orthodontics on the pulp status and root integrity. Moreover, numerous biomechanical strategies may be modified to reduce the likelihood of unfavourable outcomes during and subsequent to orthodontic therapy.

Mithran Goonewardene completed Dental School at The University of Western Australia in 1981 and attended the Forsyth Dental Center/Harvard School of Dental Medicine in Boston, USA from 1984-1987 where he completed his Certificate in Orthodontics and Master of Medical Science degree. He took up a teaching position in orthodontics at The University of Western Australia in 1987 and has been Head of Orthodontics and Graduate Program Director at The University of Western Australia since 1989. Dr Goonewardene is a full member of The Edward Angle Society of Orthodontists and is Certified by the Australian Orthodontic Board. He visits Sri Lanka regularly as a visiting Consultant in Orthodontics in the Dental Institute, Colombo and participates in part-time private practice in Perth.

Lecture Title: What I wish I had known decades ago when starting with implants

Prof Richard Chan
BDS( Syd) MDS (Syd),FRACDS, OAM

Summary: It is generally accepted that dental implants is a well-documented and predictable treatment modality for replacement of missing teeth. However, despite the best care and management, a certain percentage of patients will experience complications. We can all be experts with the benefits of hindsight….. especially when problem arises. This presentation will focus on two areas

• “Implants don’t move?! Continued facial growth in implantology”
• Complications can be traumatic and expensive for both the patient and the clinician! Tooth injury by dental implants.

Learning outcome:

• The participants should be aware of the implications of multidirectional craniofacial growth that continues throughout life in relation to our implant treatment planning
• Neurosensory and blood supply disturbance to teeth adjacent to dental implants
• How to manage injury to an adjacent tooth when (not ‘if’) it happens?
• Prevention of potential serious consequences of injuring an adjacent tooth

Professor Richard Chan is a specialist in Oral Rehabilitation at the University of Sydney, with BDS and MDS qualifications from the same institution. He is a Fellow of multiple prestigious organizations, including the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons and the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine. He is the former Program Director for the Graduate Diploma in Clinical Dentistry (Oral Implants) and Past President of the Australasian Osseointegration Society. Prof. Chan maintains a full-time referral practice focused on implant surgery and prosthodontics. In 2019, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his contributions to dentistry.

Lecture Title: Strategies for predictable Local Anaesthesia in Endodontics

Dr Tim Silbert
BDSc (W.Aust), MDSc (Qld.) MRACDS (Endo) FPFA

Summary: The role of predictable local anaesthetics in dentistry cannot be understated. The lecture aims to briefly review the basics of local anaesthesia in dental care with a brief overview of the pharmacology before moving into problem solving challenges that arise by considering the anatomy in the area, fine tuning the techniques traditionally taught before problem solving failed local aesthesia in the dental setting providing simple and practical strategies to overcome challenges.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the role practical of pharmacology in dental local anaesthesia
2. Appreciate the role of the environment and physical anatomy in planning the anaesthetic technique
3. Manage failed local anaesthesia through technique modification and simple alternate techniques

Dr Tim Silbert obtained his dental degree from the University of Western Australia and completed his post graduate training at the University of Queensland in Australia.
He is a member of the Pierre Fauchard Society, a founding member of the International Academy of Endodontics and has undertaken several visiting teaching roles at the University of Western Australia Dental School.
He has been in full-time private practice in endodontics for the past twenty-five years.

Lecture Title: Challenges for the GP Dentist in Performing Vital Pulp Therapy – A Practical Perspective from Regional Practice

Dr Paul Renner
BDSc(UQ), FICD

Summary: Drawing from nearly a decade of experience incorporating vital pulp therapy (VPT) into private practice in regional Queensland, Dr Renner shares practical insights into the challenges and solutions for general dentists implementing VPT in everyday practice.
The lecture addresses the complexities of pulpal diagnosis in real-world settings. He explores the often ambiguous nature of pulpitis classifications and their clinical relevance.
Effective patient communication is crucial when incorporating VPT into practice. The lecture covers strategies for explaining the procedure’s staged approach, where the final treatment path may evolve during the appointment.

Practical solutions for common time management challenges are presented. This includes effective protocols for immediate pain management and the strategic use of interim restorations. The lecture explores suitable patient demographics for VPT, with particular focus on cost-benefit analysis. A practical overview of available materials used for VPT is provided, and a patient-centered approach to measuring success is discussed, moving beyond traditional clinical metrics. The lecture concludes with practical strategies for incorporating VPT into general practice, addressing common concerns and providing solutions based on real-world experience in a regional setting.

Dr. Paul Renner is a graduate of the University of Queensland with extensive experience in rural dental practice. He worked in government dental services before establishing his private practice in Dalby in 1991. He has been actively involved in professional leadership, serving on the ADAQ Council, including two terms as president, and was awarded ADAQ life membership in 2021. With over 15 years as a clinical demonstrator at UQ, he has contributed to dental education through teaching, resource development on dental dam use, and lecturing internationally on implant training

Lecture Title: Root Resections: A Lost Art in the Age of Dental Implants

Dr Melanie McAlpine, Periodontist
BDSc(Hons) MDSc(Perio) MRACDS FADI FICD

Summary: Dental implants are often seen as the ultimate solution for failing teeth. But what happens when implant complications arise, and fixed tooth replacement is no longer an option?

Delaying implant placement can significantly reduce the number, severity, and complexity of implant-related complications a patient may face over their lifetime. Reviving the lost art of root resection provides an affordable and biologically sound alternative for preserving natural dentition – sometimes eliminating the need for an implant altogether. The science is clear; the art lies in knowing when, where, and how to apply it.

Dr Melanie McAlpine completed her undergraduate degree with Honours at The University of Western Australia in 1993. This was followed by a Masters in Periodontology at the same university, completed in 1999. Immediately following graduation Melanie moved to London, England where she enjoyed a combination of private specialist practice in Guildford, Surrey and a teaching position at St Bart’s and The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. Melanie returned to full-time specialist periodontal practice in Perth in 2002 and is the principal practitioner at Western Periodontics in Northbridge. She is also a Consultant Paediatric Periodontist at Perth Children’s Hospital where she has been involved in the cleft lip and palate program since her post-graduate years. Western Periodontics has a keen interest in the management of periodontal and peri-implant disease, as well as a strong implant referral base focusing on predictable and aesthetic osseointegrated implant treatment.

Professionally Melanie has been an active member of local and federal societies including the Australian Society of Periodontology, the Royal College of Dental Surgeons, the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Periodontists, the Australian Osseointegration Society, she is a founding executive committee member of both Women in Dentistry and the Dental Specialists Society of Western Australia. Melanie has been named as a Fellow of the International College of Dentists and the Academy of Dentistry International. Melanie is also a Fellow of the International Team for Implantology (ITI); she is the current regional co-ordinator for the ITI in Western Australia and an ITI Study Club director.