Events and news.

Prof. Ana Catarina Nogueira da Silva was invited to give a talk at the 34th Congress of the Portuguese Dental Association (Ordem dos Médicos Dentistas) on 6 November at 18:05 in Auditorium A.

Her talk, “New trends in Operative Dentistry: toys or tools? The use of lasers in operative dentistry”, covers the different wavelengths and their applications in restorative dentistry, the criteria for choosing a laser and the effects of lasers on dentine and on the bonding of restorative materials.

For Prof. Ana Catarina, the invitation is an opportunity to promote laser technology in dentistry — a tool set to play an increasingly important role in clinical practice.

From 6 to 8 June 2024, the Alfândega Congress Centre in Porto hosted the 19th World Congress of the International Society for Laser Dentistry (ISLD) — the first laser dentistry congress ever held in Portugal.

Organised by the ISLD Ambassador for Portugal, Prof. Ana Catarina Nogueira da Silva, the congress brought together more than 230 delegates from over 30 nationalities and featured internationally renowned speakers, including Portuguese dentist Dr Miguel Stanley.

The opening session was attended by the President of the Portuguese Dental Association, Dr Miguel Pavão, and the Dean of the Faculty of Dental Medicine of the University of Porto, Prof. Paulo Melo. On 6 June the 10th WALED (World Academy for Laser Education and Development) conference also took place, organised by Leon Vanweersch and devoted to education and networking for Aachen Dental Laser Center alumni.

The Prof. Norbert Gutknecht Award for Best Presentation went to Dr Alessandra Rastelli and the Best Poster award to Dr Ellen Perim. The congress also marked a handover in the ISLD presidency: Prof. Adam Stabholz completed his term and Prof. Márcia Marques was elected the new president.

The congress closed with a gala dinner at the Palácio da Bolsa.