Australians shine at ESOLA Florence congress 2003

The European Society for Oral Laser Applications (ESOLA) held its biennial congress from 15 to 18 May 2003 in Florence, Italy. Amongst the 300+ delegates from across the world were a strong contingent of Australian dentists, including practitioners using lasers from all four major Australian distributors.

Dr Peter Verheyen DDS, Secretary of ESOLA, was impressed with the level of interest in the congress.

"Laser dentistry has seen an incredible level of growth in the last two years and the overwhelming response we have had at this conference in Florence is evidence of this," he said.

Keynote speakers at the congress included Professor Laurence Walsh from the University of Queensland, whose research in laser dentistry, including clinical studies on in-office bleaching and photoactivated disinfection, has contributed substantially to the international understanding and progress of laser dentistry.

Professor Walsh's presence as a keynote speaker confirms Australia's role as a leading nation in the adoption, implementation and development of laser dentistry. Strong national sales of dental lasers further reinforce Australia's position as a global leader in progressive technologies.

The High Tech Laser Group reported a good representation from both their Australian and European dentists, with valuable seminars further expanding the already considerable knowledge base of High Tech's laser practitioners.

Dr Jacques Meschemberg from Adelaide found the experience to be particularly valuable.

"It was good to be able to focus wholly on laser dentistry at a conference and share experiences with other laser dental practitioners from around the world," Dr Meschemberg said. "I learned a lot from just talking to other laser dentists.

"I got a real sense that laser dentistry was becoming increasingly central to many practices worldwide and the seminars reinforced this idea of laser dentistry as an integral part of achieving consistently superior clinical outcomes."

Matt Moncrieff, managing director of High Tech Laser Australia, also attended.

"Laser Dentistry congresses held by ESOLA provide invaluable knowledge for dentists who are using lasers in private practice. The research presented at this congress has been practical and useful information for practitioners at all levels of experience with lasers.

"I would encourage any dentist with an interest in lasers to attend future ESOLA congresses. They provide a good insight into the benefits, limitations and latest developments in the field of laser dentistry."