Free dental education lectures with CPD certificate

Straight Smile Centre and CPD Dental provides free world class informatoin sessions. We understand that your time is valuable; you need impactful and effective education that you can implement immediately.

Our free CPD events are designed to provide valuable learning in a short amount of time.

We are excited to announce that we are continuing our complimentary CPD events into 2025, and expanding our offering with an additional virtual event catalogue!

CPD

Due to limited spots and remarkable attendance over the last year, register your attendance early to avoid missing out!

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PLEASE READ: Each person attending must complete the registration form for catering purposes. Please do not register using a general practice email. A unique email address is required for each registrant to ensure CPD certificates as well as event updates reach recipients.

Our 2025 CPD Events

Tuesday March 4th 2025

Topic: Working Smarter to Address Infection Prevention and Control Challenges: New Perspective to Boost Safety and Efficiency

Speaker: Prof Laurie Walsh

CE Points: 2

Time: 6:00 PM ACDT

Location: The Lion Hotel on Melbourne Street,
161 Melbourne St, North Adelaide SA 5006

Overview: Effective protocols for infection prevention and control (IPC) sit at the heart of safe patient care. This lecture explores common areas of challenge in IPC through the lens of "what common things go wrong?", applying the principles of failure mode effect analysis (FMEA) to identify how to prevent such incidents. The issues are divided up into the overall topics of infrastructure, equipment, protocols, and people. This provides a framework for looking at quality of IPC and risks of IPC errors that is easy to implement regardless of the scale of the clinical facility. It will help practices identify and prioritize areas for actions, to prevent the wrong staff members doing the wrong thing with the wrong equipment in the wrong place at the wrong time. The following topics will be explored:

The concept that effective reprocessing begins in the operatory
Common errors with using ultrasonic cleaning and washer disinfectors
How segregation in instrument reprocessing is linked to workflow
Why steri room design involves more than using floor plan diagrams
Approaches to checking sterilised loads in a structured way

Learning objectives that will be explained in this program include:

Understand the challenges of achieving consistent quality in reprocessing the instruments
Appreciate the infrastructure, equipment and human factor contributions to incidents and errors in reprocessing
From an appreciation of "what common things go wrong?" learn how to address issues with how staff follow everyday protocols

About Prof Laurie Walsh

Emeritus Professor Laurence J. Walsh is based at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia where for 21 years he was the research group leader for advanced technologies and biomaterials before retiring at the end of 2020. In retirement, Laurie continues to be active in research, and he supervises the research of 12 postgraduate students, and teaches into the training programs in his clinical specialty of special needs dentistry. Laurie has authored over 400 journal papers as well as numerous books, and he is one of the most cited Australian dental scientists of all time. He is a life member of the ADA and the ANZ Academy of Special Needs Dentistry, and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2018 in recognition of his contributions to dental research and dental education.

Tuesday, May 6th 2025

Topic: Beyond The Basics: The Next Steps In Treating Sleep Apnoea In Your General Practice

Speaker: Dr Erin Elliot

CE Points: 2

Time: 6:00 PM ACDT

Location: The Lion Hotel on Melbourne Street,
161 Melbourne St, North Adelaide SA 5006

Overview: This session focuses on advancing you sleep apnoea journey. Many clinicians grasp the basics - screening, diagnosis, and oral appliance functionality - but often lack clarity on two essential areas: the financial aspects and appointment-by- appointment protocols.

We'll cover how to make sleep apnoea therapy a profitable part of your practice by addressing billing, insurance and how to effectively present treatment value to patients. Additionally, the session will walk you through detailed appointment protocols, from initial consultations to long-term follow-ups, ensuring consistent, high-quality care.

By mastering both the business and procedural elements, you'll be equipped to optimise patient outcomes while improving practice efficiency and profitability. This session provides the tools and insights necessary to integrate sleep apnoea therapy into your practice with confidence.

Learning Objectives that will be explained in this program include:

Understand the fundamentals of a sleep study review
Define various treatment options and grasp various bite techniques
Be familiar with appointment-by-appointment treatment workflow
Know what documentation is required
Get overviews of medical insurance and financial considerations

About Dr Erin Elliot

Dr Erin E. Elliot is a highly accomplished dentist based in North Idaho, with expertise in Dental Sleep Medicine, Short Term Orthodontics, and integrating CAD/CAM and cone-beam imaging into general dentistry. Originally from Southern California, Dr Elliot earned her undergraduate degree summa cum laude and graduated in the top 5 of her class from Creighton Dental School. An active member of the American Dental Association and American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Dr. Elliot is also a diplomate and former president of the American Sleep and Breathing Academy. She regularly lectures and teaches 2-day sleep apnoea courses with 3D-Dentists, alongside Dr. Tarun Agarwal. Passionate about educating dental teams, Dr Elliot offers private coaching and helps practices implement sleep apnoea treatment and digital dentistry in an engaging, practical way. With her energetic and approachable style, she strives to make a difference in patient care and practice success.

Tuesday, July 22nd 2025

Topic: Endodontic Essentials: What You Need to Know About Root Canal Therapy

Speaker: Dr Terry Pannkuk

CE Points: 2

Time: 6:00 PM ACDT

Location: The Lion Hotel on Melbourne Street,
161 Melbourne St, North Adelaide SA 5006

Overview: This presentation outlines the essential elements of root canal treatment. This includes key aspects of diagnosis and case selection, helping clinicians determine when endodontic treatment is appropriate based on prognosis. Essential tools, including microscopy and three-dimensional imaging, are discussed. The lecture emphasises the importance of access design for visualisation, locating, cleaning, and shaping of root canal systems. Tips for canal negotiation with establishment and maintenance of patency will be highlighted. Dr. Pannkuk will also describe the details of three-dimensional cleaning, shaping, and filling root canals in a way that establishes a clinically reliable apicocoronal seal. Finally, post-endodontic restoration and follow-up will be addressed, concluding with the necessity of specialized expertise in ensuring optimal outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

Learn to select appropriate case likely to have a favourable outcome after root canal treatment.
Design an endodontic access cavity preparation that facilities finding all canals and allows for simplified file entry and cleaning.
Understand the essential details of root canal treatment that leads to a favourable outcome.

About Dr Terry Pannkuk

A native of California, Dr Terry Pannkuk, graduated from University of California at Los Angeles with a degree in Biology, Georgetown Dental School with a D.D.S., and Boston University with an M.Sc.D. in Endodontics. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics Former Editor and Publisher of The Endodontic Report. Former President of the Boston University Endodontic Alumni Association. Current Reviewer for the Journal of Endodontics (official Journal of the American Association of Endodontists) Past President of the Academy of Microscope Enhanced Dentistry. President and Founder of the Schilder Institute for the Advancement of Endodontics. Editor and Publisher of PDL (Pure Dental Learning) Honorary Lecturer at the University of Warwick (2013 – 2015) Volunteer Clinical Professor at the University of California at San Francisco International Lecturer-Author of topics relating to clinical endodontics. He lives and practices in Santa Barbara, California.

Tuesday, October 14th 2025

Topic: The Safe and Effective Use of Local Anaesthesia in the Paediatric Dental Patient

Speaker: Dr Stanley Malamed

CE Points: 2

Time: 6:00 PM ACDT

Location: The Lion Hotel on Melbourne Street,
161 Melbourne St, North Adelaide SA 5006

Overview: The management of pain and anxiety are two critical components of a successful dental practice. Though local anaesthetics are the safest and most effective drugs in medicine for the prevention of perioperative pain, it is in the younger, well-behaved patient where significant complications (e.g., overdose) are most apt to arise.

Additionally, many younger children are fearful about their upcoming dental treatment. Sedation can be the answer... if carried out safely. In this program Doctor Malamed will discuss the safe use of both local anaesthetics and sedation in the paediatric dental patient. Overdose of local anaesthetics will be reviewed, including maximum recommended doses (MRDs) of local anaesthetics; the local anaesthetic overdose scenario ('How to do it'); recognition and management of local anesthetise overdose ('How to treat it').

Techniques of paediatric sedation will also be discussed, primarily the oral and inhalation (N20-02) routes.

Learning Objectives:

Compare the clinical attributes if the currently available dental local anaesthetic formulations.
Discuss the concept of maximum recommended dose (MRD)
Describe the signs & symptoms of local anaesthetic overdose
Discuss the recognition and management of local anaesthetic overdose

About Dr Stanley Malamed

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry in Los Angeles, California, USA. He joined the University of Southern California School of Dentistry faculty in 1973 and retired in 2013. Dr. Malamed has authored over 190 scientific papers and 17 chapters in various medical and dental journals and textbooks, focusing on physical evaluation, emergency medicine, local anesthesia, sedation, and general anesthesia. He is also the author of three widely acclaimed textbooks published by CV Mosby: "Handbook of Medical Emergencies in the Dental Office" (8th edition, 2023), "Handbook of Local Anesthesia" (7th edition, 2020), and "Sedation: A Guide to Patient Management" (7th edition, 2024). These textbooks have been translated into 22 languages. Additionally, he produced two interactive DVDs: "Emergency Medicine" (3rd edition, 2018) and "Malamed’s Local Anesthetic Technique" (2004, 2nd edition 2012). Outside his professional life, Dr. Malamed is an avid runner and exercise enthusiast. He also enjoys the New York Times crossword puzzle, which he has solved daily since his freshman year in dental school. Dr. Malamed's contributions to dentistry and his dedication to education and personal interests make him a notable figure in the field.

Previous Events

March 7th 2023

Location: Walkers Arms Hotel on North East Road

Time: 6:00 PM

Topic: Dentistry in the digital world - Everyday predictable results

CE Points: 2

Speaker: Dr Rob Ritter

Overview: The entire planet has gone digital. Dentistry is moving quickly in the implementation of the newest technologies available. An integrated approach that looks at diagnosis and treatment as well as smile design, and single unit dentistry for the everyday practice. Attendees will be able to communicate the desired outcome to the patient and the ceramist, making it a winning combination. This presentation will help the practices of today get ready for the digital world of tomorrow.

Learning objectives that will be explained in this program include:

The different techniques of chairside digital scaning and scan bodies
The different types of Custom Abutments and Custom Healing Caps for specific implants
The different types of Provisionalization - Bisacryls and PMMA's
An understanding between Litihum Disilcate vs Zirconia and how to Choose accordingly
The appropriate selection of cementation materials

About Dr Rob Ritter:

Dr. Ritter received his degree in 1994 from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Dental Medicine. Dr. Ritter served as the clinical director for the Institute for Oral Art and Design (IOAD) in Sarasota, and was the program leader of PowerPAC for the Pacific Aesthetic Continuum (PACLive). Dr. Ritter was honored to teach TEAM dental seminars and 3:1 Foundation hands-on programs helping dentists implement the newest esthetic dentistry into their offices.

Dr. Ritter is a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, American Dental Association, Florida Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (past president), Seaside Study Club, Seattle Study Club, American Equilibration Society, and the International Association of Dental Researchers.

Past CPD Events

September 3rd 2024

Topic: Four blocks and it still hurts - Strategies for effective pain relief during treatment.

Speaker: Prof. Paul Abbott

CE Points: 2

Time: 6:00 PM ACDT

Location: The Lion Hotel on Melbourne Street
161 Melbourne St, North Adelaide SA 5006

Overview: In this lecture, comprehensive strategies to achieve successful anaesthesia of problematic teeth will be outlined together with some new injection techniques. These strategies are based on research by the presenter’s group, particularly for acute irreversible pulpitis. Pain is one of the main reasons why patients seek dental treatment and many painful teeth will require root canal treatment. Dentists must take care to ensure that the patient does not have any pain during treatment but this can be a significant challenge at times – such as when the tooth has acute irreversible pulpitis and acute apical periodontitis, particularly when the tooth is a mandibular molar where standard local anaesthetic techniques are not very effective.

Learning objectives that will be explained in this program include:

Describe the sequence of steps to follow to improve local anaesthesia for mandibular teeth with acute irreversible pulpitis
Describe the sequence of steps to follow to improve local anaesthesia for maxillary teeth with acute irreversible pulpitis
Outline post-operative pain management strategies following the emergency management of irreversible pulpitis

About Prof. Paul Abbott

Prof. Paul Abbott is the Winthrop Professor of Clinical Dentistry at The University of Western Australia. He is a Specialist Endodontist and prior to taking a full-time University position in 2002, he spent 17 years in private specialist endodontic practice in Perth and Melbourne. During this time, he also held part-time academic positions at The University of Western Australia and the University of Melbourne. He was the Dean/Head of the School of Dentistry at The University of Western Australia and Director of the Oral Health Centre of WA from 2003-2009. He has presented over 1000 lectures and courses in 51 countries (many countries on numerous occasions). He has published over 235 articles in refereed journals, 25 textbook chapters and 47 Newsletter articles. From 2015-2022, he was the Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Dental Traumatology. He has received numerous awards for excellence in teaching and for service to the dental profession, particularly in education and research. In 2015, the Governor-General of Australia appointed Prof. Abbott as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for “distinguished service to clinical dentistry, and to higher education, as an academic, researcher and author, to endodontics as a practitioner, and to professional “organisations”.

November 26th 2024

Topic: Treating esthetic challenges using the adhesive design concept.

Speaker: Dr. Douglas A. Terry

CE Points: 2

Time: 6:00 PM ACDT

Location: The Lion Hotel on Melbourne Street
161 Melbourne St, North Adelaide SA 5006

Overview: This presentation will encompass many facets of esthetic and restorative dentistry including: biomaterials selection, operative techniques and principles, diagnostic and communication concepts, the adhesive design concept, functional composite prototyping, inverse injection layering technique, digital technology, periodontal plastic surgical procedures and prosthetic guidelines for treatment of interdisciplinary cases. This presentation will emphasize the significance of using an Adhesive Design Concept that relies on the interrelationship between three primary elements: restorative material selection, adhesion, and clinical technique to achieve clinical excellence. Throughout the presentation, I will be describing the techniques and materials for each of these topics that are illustrated in my textbooks, Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry: Material Selection and Technique, 3rd edition, Restoring with Flowables and Restoring the Intraradicular Space: Esthetic Post Systems.

Learning objectives that will be explained in this program include:

Learn how to select and integrate restorative materials and adhesive protocols with sound fundamental design principles for direct and indirect composite and ceramic restorations.
Discover the significance of using the Adhesive Design Concept to achieve clinical excellence.
Understand the significance of utilizing an interdisciplinary team approach while developing an appreciation for the basic building blocks for achieving perioesthetic excellence

About Dr. Douglas A. Terry

Dr. Douglas A. Terry presently holds positions as an adjunct professor in the department of restorative sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Professor Emeritus in the department of conservative dentistry and endodontics at the V.S. Dental College & Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in Bangalore, India. He has authored several hundred scientific articles and textbooks in numerous languages including Natural Aesthetics with Composite Resin (Montage Media, 2004), Aesthetic & Restorative Dentistry: Material Selection & Technique (Everest Publishing Media, 2009), Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry: Material Selection and Technique, Second Edition (Quintessence Publishing, 2013), What’s in Your Mouth? / What’s in Your Child’s Mouth? (Quintessence Publishing, 2013), Smile! Your Guide to Esthetic Dental Treatment (Quintessence Publishing, 2014), What’s in Your Mouth? Your Guide to a Lifelong Smile (Quintessence Publishing, 2014) Expressions of the Soul Exposed (Quintessence Publishing, 2015) Restoring with Flowables (Quintessence Publishing, 2016), Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry: Material Selection and Technique, Third Edition (Quintessence Publishing, 2018) Restoring the Intraradicular Space: Esthetic Post Systems (Quintessence Publishing, 2021). He has lectured both nationally and internationally on various subjects in restorative and aesthetic dentistry and is a dental materials clinical research consultant for industry manufacturers. Dr. Terry is the founder and CEO of the Institute of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry and a member of Oral Design International. He maintains a private practice in Houston, Texas.

May 9th 2023

Location: Walkers Arms Hotel on North East Road

Time: 6:00 PM

Topic: There are cracks... and there are cracks - But what is a crack and what do I do about a crack?

CE Points: 2

Speaker: Prof. Paul Abbott

Overview: “Cracked teeth” is one of the most widely debated and disputed topics in dentistry. It is also one of the most misunderstood topics in dentistry. The confusion and misunderstandings stem largely from early work on cracks and the lack of a good definition of a crack in a tooth. Many dentists are confused about cracks and fractures, and they use these terms interchangeably even though they represent different problems in the tooth. The confusion and misunderstanding also stem from the traditional approach to dealing with cracks in teeth which has largely been a mechanical approach. Whilst cracks do represent a weakness in the tooth structure, they are also a pathway for bacteria to enter the tooth and cause pulp disease. The symptoms associated with cracks in teeth come from the pulp and therefore it is essential to diagnose the pulp status and then to manage the bacterial aspect of cracks rather than just dealing with them as a mechanical problem. This lecture will define cracks, explore the effects of cracks on teeth and provide guidelines for the diagnosis and management of teeth with cracks – especially teeth that have reversible pulpitis, which can be managed conservatively.

Learning objectives that will be explained in this program include:

Define cracks and fractures and differentiate between them
Understand that cracks are an aetiology of various diseases, and not a disease or a syndrome
Outline the consequences of cracks in teeth
Discuss the progression of the pulp and peri-radicular conditions caused by cracks
Outline how to diagnose and assess cracks in teeth
Manage teeth with reversible pulpitis in a conservative manner

About Prof. Paul Abbott:

He has received numerous awards for excellence in teaching and for service to the dental profession, particularly in education and research. In 2015, the Governor-General of Australia appointed Prof. Abbott as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for “distinguished service to clinical dentistry, and to higher education, as an academic, researcher and author, to endodontics as a practitioner, and to professional organisations.”

July 25th 2023

Location: The Lion Hotel on Melbourne Street

Time: 6:00 PM

Topic: Matching a single central with a direct composite veneer
Hands on experience

CE Points: 2

Speaker: Dr Bob Margeas

Overview: Matching a single tooth is one of the most difficult challenges we face as restorative dentists. Which material gives you the best chance of matching? Utilising composite resin will allow the dentist to control hue, value and chroma. This lecture and demonstration will go into great detail on how to use composite resins, tints, incisal effects and surface texture to replicate a natural looking tooth.

Learning objectives that will be explained in this program include:

How to use tints to create chroma and incisal translucency
Surface texture to match a natural tooth
How to layer for maximum aesthetics

About Dr Bob Margeas:

Dr. Margeas graduated from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry in 1986 and completed his AEGD residency the following year. He is currently an Adjunct Professor in the department of Operative Dentistry at the University of Iowa. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Operative Dentistry. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Aesthetic Dentistry, a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry, American Society for Dental Aesthetics and International Team of Oral implantologists (ITI). He has written numerous articles on aesthetic and implant dentistry, and lectures and presents hands-on courses nationally and internationally on those subjects.

He is currently the Editor in Chief of Inside Dentistry, on the Editorial Board of Compendium, and is a contributing editor to Oral Health in Canada. His memberships include OKU Honour Dental Society, American Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry, and the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry. Dr. Margeas maintains a full-time private practice focusing on comprehensive restorative and implant dentistry in Des Moines, Iowa.

October 17th 2023

Location: The Lion Hotel on Melbourne Street

Time: 6:00 PM

Topic: The natural oral blueprint; an aesthetic checklist

CE Points: 2

Speaker: Dr Pascal Magne

Overview: Aesthetic restorative procedures can only be mastered consistently if both clinician and ceramist are perfectly familiar with the basic principles of natural oral esthetics. Most important criteria have been selected and are presented in the form of a checklist for aesthetic restorative success (modified from Belser). This overview of aesthetic principles is not limited to simple tooth aesthetics, but includes the entire knowledge of gingival aesthetics and the final aesthetic integration into the frame of the smile, face and - more generally - the individual.

Learning objectives that will be explained in this program include:

Basic principles of natural oral aesthetics
A checklist of important criteria for aesthetic restorative success
Gingival aesthetics and challenges related to the loss of inter-dental tissues in fixed partial dentures and implant-supported restorations

About Dr Pascal Magne:

Dr. Pascal Magne was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland) in 1966. He grew up and followed his primary education in Neuchâtel then moved to Geneva where he graduated in dentistry in 1989 and completed a Doctoral Thesis in 1992.

He taught and continued his postgraduate education in Prosthodontics and Operative Dentistry at the University of Geneva until 1997. Awarded with major grants by the Swiss Science Foundation, the Swiss Foundation for Medical-Biological Grants, and the International Association for Dental Research, he spent two years as a full-time research scholar in Biomaterials and Biomechanics at the University of Minnesota between 1997 and 1999. Back at the University of Geneva, he received his PhD degree in 2002 and served as Senior Lecturer from 1999 to 2004.