February 2017.
This was the first part of the FID course held annual by the ITI (International Team for Implantology) and Straumann. The course is being held at Crawley (quite a journey from Hereford) and was easily accessible.
The first module focused on Assessment and Treatment planning in Implant Dentistry. By comparing implants to other restorative techniques, survival rates, cost and biological implications and mechanical factors. It was clear from the outset that although this is a course aimed at implant dentistry that it would be foolhardy to be solely focused on placing implants as many of our patients would not be prime candidates for the provision of implants. Indeed we spent a few hours looking at cases that were not suitable for implants due to medical history, age, current periodontal status, bone support available and more! As someone once said – “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.”
The course looks at using ITI’s SAC classification, which is an assessment tool of the potential difficulty and risk of a case. It uses a traffic light system and serves as a guide in both case selection and treatment planning.
S – Straight forward – low difficulty and low risk
A – Advanced – moderate difficulty and moderate risk
C -Complex – high difficulty and high risk
As this is the beginning of the “Implant Journey” for myself I will be looking at placing implants in the “straight forward” patient. These cases are generally in the premolar/molar region where aesthetics are less of an issue and ideally situated in a bounded saddle so that stresses on the abutment are less. It is recommended that we use the tissue level implants as our starting point.
The big advantage of the ITI/Straumann FID course is the mentorship scheme. Each student is provided with a mentor who has a vast amount of experience and will guide me through the treatment planning phases, consent through to placing implants and maintenance. This will also allow me to develop at my own speed and gives time to select appropriate patients to continue my training.
The next part of the course focuses on single tooth implant placement.
Andrew Farr