Hien Ngo

Dr. Ngo has extensive experience in private practice, research and education.  As an educator, he has published and lectured extensively internationally on the dental materials, minimal intervention dentistry and cariology. He serves on the editorial boards of several dental journals. Over the last 15 years, he has been very active as an international speaker and have contributed to numerous major international meetings. It is estimated that his courses have attracted over 20,000 participants.

In research, he is active in the areas of dental materials and cariology. In 2009, he was appointed Professor and Chair of General Dental Practice at the University of Queensland. In 2012, he joined the University of Kuwait as Professor of the Department of General Dental Practice and Director of Comprehensive Dental Care. In 2016, he joined the University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, as Dean of its Faculty of Dental Medicine.

At present, his main focus in research revolves around the clinical management of caries, especially in the elderly and medically compromised patients and the interaction between the glass-ionomers and the oral environment. He has been a technical consultant to several dental organisations and was co-inventor of many dental products.

Title 1: Clinical Management of Dental Caries

Abstract 1: Dental practitioners believe in the prevention of dental disease and helping patients maintain a functional and aesthetic dentition for life, but how can we deliver predictable outcomes and make it a reality in clinical practice?

The modern approach to clinical dentistry relies on dentists taking the dual role of physician and surgeon. So there is a need for a systematic approach to the clinical management of a healthy oral environment. Patients present with a range of different conditions and circumstances and while no single intervention is effective in all cases, it is possible to develop specific strategies and protocols that incorporate monitoring of outcomes for managing individual patients.

Despite continuing major advances in dental materials and techniques, the average longevity of a direct tooth coloured restoration is still hovering around 10 years. Restorative materials are still poor substitute for natural tooth structure. Teeth can withstand high mastication load because they are built using two very different materials, so it has been suggested that we should also replicate this design when rebuilding a tooth.

  Today, technological innovations have provided dental professionals with new tools and science has provided us with many possible ways of handling the above issues. This lecture aims at identifying important factors that govern clinical success, reviewing possible solutions and demonstrating practical ways at preserving and restoring tooth structure.

Topics covered will include:

• Minimal Intervention Dentistry – implementing strategies into clinical practice
• Aetiological factors linking caries, erosion and dentine hypersensitivity
• In-office and at-home care strategies, making them easy and predictable

Title 2: Restorative Challenges in Older Patients

Abstract 2: The retention of healthy teeth in the elderly contributes to overall physical and mental health and quality of life. There are specific issues that need to be considered when providing dental care for older patients. The incidence of general disease is higher in this population, as is the amount of prescribed medication. These can complicate dental management by altering salivary flow, causing bleeding disorders, lichenoids reactions and tissue overgrowth. Oral diseases are cumulative and become more complex to manage over time. In older individuals, conservative treatments should be considered first, as complex options such as implant-born structures could be more challenging to maintain as patients get older. In the natural course of ageing, individuals will transition from being robust (active and capable) to being frail (limited activity and capability) and finally being dependent (very limited activity and capability), the ability to cope with extensive treatment decreases with age and, in more severe cases, patients must be sedated for dental care.

In this presentation, I will address a structured approach to formulate a care plan for older individuals: identify the issues and possible solutions, protect the dentition and patient, control disease and maintain oral and general health.

Learning objectives:

• Understand the holistic approach in care planning for older individuals
• Understand the challenges in managing oral health for life
• Be familiar with preventive and restorative considerations in elderly patients