Message from the Chairman

My name is Keietsu Saigo, and I am honored to have been appointed chairman of the 47th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Oral Implantology. Within our branch of the Society, there are only two cities with facilities suitable for hosting a major conference to be attended by more than 4,000 participants. These are Sapporo in Hokkaido and Sendai in Tohoku. We are particularly fortunate this time to receive the full support of Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, enabling us to host the conference here in Sendai.
We are all aware that oral implants are one of the best options available for prosthodontic treatment of missing teeth and one that restores a high level of oral cavity function to the patient. Patient’s needs in this area, however, are extremely diverse, and we increasingly see individual instances of problems between practitioners and patients who are dissatisfied with the results of their treatment. Moreover, the dental profession itself faces serious issues such as an imbalance in supply and demand brought about by a surplus of professional dentists, with implant therapy having been the target of significant media criticism. Given this situation, it is necessary for professionals to focus not merely on the acquisition of skills and technology but on everything that goes into making implant treatment both safe and comfortable, thereby enabling our profession to provide trustworthy and satisfying dental care far into the future.
The main theme of this year’s conference is “The Future or Implant Treatments,” to which we of the conference secretariat have added the subtheme “Meeting the Pioneers.” We have invited pioneers in a variety of specializations in the hope of making this conference as interesting as possible for our members. In recent years, the number of lectures and the number of people attending the conference has remained flat. We hope that our members will see this year’s conference as the opportunity to presents the results of their own research as well as to deepen their understanding of routine dental care.
The Kyushu area was recently shaken by a major earthquake, and the region remains in disarray as it recovers after additional damage from typhoons. Nearly six years have passed since the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami wreaked havoc in this area, yet we continue to struggle to complete reconstruction. We look forward to everyone attending this year’s conference in the sincere hope that it will not only contribute to the continued recovery of the Tohoku region but help reinvigorate the conference as well as the Japanese Society of Oral Implantology itself.