Invited Speakers' Abstracts

(in order of appearance)

Challenges in Spine Surgery - Actual Topics, Clinical and Scientific Implications for the Future

Dr. Stephan Becker, Orthopedic Surgeon, Vienna, Austria

Spine surgery is amongst the most growing treatment areas in medicine and the fastest growing area in orthopaedics. As it is fast growing, it is extremely vulnerable to society trends, market trends ands economical trends. Due to the fact of industrial overdrive in order to meet the surgeon’s need, we have to reconsider basic values, evidence based medicine and individual treatments. Past mistakes and trends have now implications for our patients and are openly discussed in the media. We have to learn from those mistakes and reconsider our behaviour and treatment options. The general trend has massive implication on future financing in surgery and research and we have to work hard to deliver the best data, focus more on patients than implants / industry and make spine surgery transparent, scientifically and ethically correct.

Alkaline Biomaterials in Endodontics: History and Perspectives

PhD Dr. Matthias Zehnder, Dr. med. dent., PD, PhD, University of Zürich Dental School

Teeth are unique hard tissue structures that breach a soft tissue barrier into a space replete with microorganisms, the oral cavity. When the connective tissue core of a tooth, the so-called dental pulp, is disclosed because of caries or trauma, this tissue can necrotize. The tooth can then become internally infected and can cause inflammatory reactions in the surrounding tissues. Hence, the goal of root canal treatment is to prevent pulpless teeth from being a constant source of microbial spread by disinfection and subsequent prevention of re-infection. Alkaline biomaterials have a long tradition of successful usage in this context. Calcium hydroxide has been used for almost one hundred years as a remedy against root canal infections. Some ten years ago, a commercial product based on Portland cement was introduced to the dental market. Unlike calcium hydroxide suspensions, Portland cement sets hard and can create a bacteria-tight seal. This can be clinically advantageous. However, it is impossible to remove Portland cement from the root canal space once it has set. Future developments in dental biomaterials research should focus on smart materials, which disinfect at first, then become inert and provide a bacteria-tight barrier. In addition, these materials should be retrievable in case of treatment failure. This talk will focus on the development of such materials.

Biomaterials and Biomechanics: Best Friends for Musculo-Skeletal Applications

Prof. Dominique Pioletti, Laboratory of Biomechanical Orthopedics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne

Biomechanics may be considered as central in the development of bone tissue engineering. The initial mechanical aspects are essential to the outcome of a functional tissue engineering approach, so are aspects of interface micromotion, bone ingrowths inside the scaffold and finally the mechanical integrity of the scaffold during its degradation. A proposed view is presented herein on how biomechanical aspects can be synthesized and where future developments are needed. In particular, a distinction is made between the mechanical and the mechanotransductional aspects in bone tissue engineering: the former could be related to osteoconduction, while the later may be correlated to the osteoinductive properties of the scaffold.