Japan Association of Microscopic Dentistry

This year's conference marks the 20th meeting of the Japan Association of Microscopic Dentistry. As the 20th conference, it will be held for 2.5 days, including Friday afternoon, instead of 2 days in previous years. Twenty years ago, I remember how happy I was to own a microscope and to see a magnified image.

Nowadays, microscopy is an indispensable part of treatment by global standards, and it is important to know how to interpret images under the microscope and how to use the microscope to stabilize long-term prognosis. In addition, the treatment must be based on the evidence of microscopy that has been accumulated over the past 20 years. On the other hand, the current state of dentistry in Japan is not so good. It can be said that we are "moving in our direction" due to the unique Japanese system. By the way, the slogan for this year's conference of the Society of Microscopic Dentistry is "Focusing on the Future: Toward the Forefront of Global Standards." I believe that Japanese doctors are among the best in terms of their eagerness to learn and their sincere attitude toward their patients. By attending lectures and hands-on courses given by professors currently active in the world's academic societies, we hope that Japanese dentistry will once again become one of the world's top-class dental schools. The highlight of the conference will be a series of lectures and hands-on courses by doctors currently active in international academic societies.

The highlight of the conference will be the three invited speakers from overseas. First, Dr. Adham Azim is a doctor who has established evidence for the treatment of through-and-through regions, which were previously thought to be "acceptable if there are no symptoms," by applying advanced statistical processing to a treatment method that takes into account the long-term prognosis in cases where surgical endodontic treatment has failed. Despite being only 39 years old, he has been the lead professor at the University at Buffalo and Pacific University and was the number one popular speaker at the 2023 AAE. Dr. Alan Atlas is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Preventive and Restorative Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania and has a clinic in Pennsylvania that specializes in prosthetics. He has knowledge of evidence on microscopic restorative procedures such as margin compatibility and resin filling compatibility, and we are confident that he will provide knowledge and skills that Japanese doctors can immediately use in their practice. Dr. Shanon Patel is a professor at King's College London and also runs his clinic. His systematic reviews are characterized by statistical analysis of various cases, and he has knowledge of data on extra-root resorption in particular. He is a regular speaker at international conferences and has been "in demand" at conferences around the world.

We hope that all participants will experience firsthand the high level of evidence and objectivity of these doctors' lectures, and take away something new. In addition, we are planning to call for general abstracts by category at this year's conference. This is in line with the approach of global conferences such as AAE, This way, we can provide information to participants in advance so that they can enjoy the conference in a more meaningful way. We hope that the 20th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Microscopic Dentistry in 2024 will serve as the first step to reaffirm the current status of dentistry in Japan and to make a great leap forward.
We look forward to your participation!