How do we avoid adverse outcomes in periodontal plastic and periimplant surgery?

Dr Rino Burkhardt, DMD

February 25, 2017, Saturday 10:00 – 11:15

Knowledge - thinking - clinical execution

In periodontology and implantology, a surgical complication is defined as an unfavourable evolution of the therapy caused by a health condition or the surgery by itself. In many cases the harmful adverse effects result from a decision-making error or an unsuitable procedure. In such situations, the undesired outcome is caused by a treatment error and not by a complication.

It is the aim of the lecture to shed light on the key factors of flap design, flap mobilisation and adaptation for a proper planning of the surgical intervention and in order to avoid treatment errors. Depending on the complexity of the particular task, clinical decision-making may be more analytical or informal/intuitive at the other end of the continuum.

Besides the "non-technical skills" (decision-making) that give the direction of the surgical pathway, the lecture will focus on the technical skills such as hand stability, bimanual coordination and finger precision. In technically-sensitive interventions, manual dexterity strongly affects wound integrity and wound stability and the healing course at the end.

Good decisions and manual dexterity translate into safe surgical care.