Building bridges to the next generation of restorative dentists
Dentsply Sirona’s annual competition for students in aesthetic dentistry concluded with the three prizewinners invited to travel to Madrid, Spain and presenting their work to a congress of specialists.
The Global Clinical Case Contest (GCCC) is an annual competition in aesthetic dentistry run by Dentsply Sirona Restorative. Undergraduate and graduate students of dentistry with less than two years of clinical practice experience are eligible to take part by documenting a patient case in a standardized format with photographs and text. Universities are allowed up to three submissions each. Normally the university also designates a tutor to support its students throughout the process. If needed, the students have access to the whole Dentsply Sirona Restorative product line for their participation in the GCCC.
Cases are entered into their respective national or regional competitions where winners are selected. The national or regional winners are then qualified for the global competition. This year, thirteen finalists came to Konstanz, Germany on June 6th. The jury included Dr. Rainer Seemann, Vice President Global Clinical Affairs, and two external experts: Dr. Gaetano Paolone from Italy and Dr. Ian Cline from the UK. Together they selected the three prizewinners.
Uwe Walker (University of Tübingen, Germany) won first prize for the esthetical and functional correction of multiple erosive-abrasive tooth defects. Second prize went to Yannis Génique (University of Bordeaux, France) for his anterior smile design case which included reshaping a riziform lateral incisor and replacing several aging composite restorations. Third prize was awarded to Mariangela Cernera (University of Naples Federico II, Italy) for her case renewing several large Class II composite restorations in the posterior region. The winners also each received an individually engraved SmartLite Procuring light as a gift. Asked what motivated him to participate in the competition, the winner, Mr. Walker, answered that, “The case had a lot of potential due to the diverse treatment aspects. It was also helpful for the patient who could not have afforded a full rehabilitation without participating in the competition.”
Winners travel to Madrid
The three winners of the GCCC 2019 were invited to the Continental European Division of the International Association for Dental Research congress in Madrid in September. Due to circumstances, only Mariangela Cernera was able to attend in person.
Nearly 4,000 dental students have participated in the GCCC since it began in 2004. This year marked the 14th time that the competition took place and Dentsply Sirona received 1,242 submissions from a total of 140 universities around the world. The competition is a great way to support the next generation of outstanding dentists and introduce them to the Company’s innovative portfolio of restorative solutions. It also helps to enhance interest in sharing case studies and gives students a chance to practice their presentation technique.
Find more information about the GCCC here.
Watch the introduction to the GCCC