Program
- 25 – 27 SEPTEMBER 2025
- Crowne Plaza Queenstown, NZ
PROGRAM
Thursday 25 September: Postgraduate Day
Thursday 25 September / 5:30pm: President’s Cocktail Party
Thursday 25 September 2025
9:00am - 5:00pm
Postgraduate Day
Sponsored by:
12:30 – 1:30pm
Lunch
1:30 – 5:00pm
Paediatric Dentists: NuSmile hands-on course
- Identifying when full coverage esthetic paediatric restorations can and should be used.
- Learn tips and tricks along with common errors and troubleshooting for placing full coverage paediatric restorations.
- Practice proper prep and cementation techniques for success.
- Hands-on training with NuSmile’s products including: Zirconia Crowns
If time permits, Dr. Patrick Ruck will also discuss vital pulp therapies using MTA products.
4:30pm
Vital pulp therapies using MTA products
Dr. Patrick Ruck
5:00 – 7:00pm
President’s Cocktail Party
Friday 26 September 2025
8:00 - 8:30am
Tea, coffee on arrival
8:30 - 8:40am
Mihi Whakatau
8:40 - 8:45am
Opening address
Dr. Katie Ayers, AAPD President
8:45 - 9:45am
Assessment and management of dental hypersensitivity in children
Dr. Joana Monterio, Paediatric Dentist
Dental hypersensitivity (DH) in children with enamel defects presents both diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. This presentation reviews current evidence on the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and daily impact of DH in paediatric patients. Assessment methods—such as air, thermal, and tactile tests—are evaluated for their reliability and suitability in children. Management strategies including desensitising agents, remineralising therapies, and sealants are discussed in the context of emerging research. Emphasis is placed on evidence-based approaches that are effective, acceptable to children, and aligned with individual oral health needs.
9:45 - 10:30am
Black is back! Clinical application of Silver Fluoride and SDF in Paediatric Practice
Dr. Harleen Kumar, Paediatric Dentist
This presentation will outline the differences between silver diamine fluoride and silver fluoride as well as their indications, contraindications, safety, handling and availability in Australia for the paediatric population.
10:30 - 10:35am
Platinum Sponsor Address
Jono Stewart, Senior Projects Consultant | Director, DENTEC
10:35 - 11:00am
Morning tea
11:00 - 12:00pm
Update on restorative materials utilized in paediatric dentistry
Dr. Patrick Ruck, Paediatric Dentist
12:00 - 12:45pm
Non-invasive management of aesthetic concerns
Dr. Joana Monterio, Paediatric Dentist
This presentation explores the use of minimally invasive techniques, such as microabrasion and resin infiltration, to manage discoloured enamel effectively. Clinical indications, limitations, and protocols will be discussed, alongside emerging evidence on patient-centred outcomes and oral health-related quality of life. The session will emphasise a conservative, child-focused approach that aims to preserve tooth structure while meeting the aesthetic needs and expectations of young patients and their families.
12:45 - 1:45pm
Lunch
1:45 - 2:15pm
AAPD Colgate Recent Graduate Speaker Award – presentations
2:15 - 2:45pm
IADR Research Competition
2:45 – 3:45pm
Australasian Academy of Paediatric Dentists Annual General Meeting
3:45 - 5:00pm
Debate
Dr. Erin Mahoney, Chair
6:30 - 10:30pm
Conference Dinner and Awards
Cargo Brew Hall (Transfer by Bus)
Saturday 27 September 2025
8:00 - 9:00am
Parkrun
Enjoy a 5km walk or run in beautiful Queenstown. Register online and bring your barcode.
9:15 - 10:15am
Pilates and injury prevention for Paediatric Dentists
Vicky Stuart-Jones, Physiotherapist/Pilates instructor
10:15 - 10:45am
Morning tea
10:45 - 11:30am
Restorative management of posterior teeth in children with MIH/AI
Dr. Joana Monterio, Paediatric Dentist
Children with molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH) and amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) often present with structurally compromised enamel in the posterior dentition, making restorative care both technically and behaviourally challenging. This session will explore contemporary restorative strategies tailored to the specific demands of these conditions, including the management of hypersensitivity, post-eruptive breakdown, and difficulties in achieving reliable enamel bonding. Approaches such as direct composite restorations, preformed metal crowns, and indirect restorations will be discussed in relation to disease severity, patient age, and long-term prognosis.
11:30 - 12:15pm
Deep caries, Local Solutions: Evidence-Based Approaches to Managing Pulp Exposures in Permanent Teeth
Dr. Shayden Bell, Endodontist
Dental caries remains one of the most widespread chronic diseases globally, yet there is a notable lack of historical data on how deep caries is managed by clinicians in New Zealand. This talk will discuss international position statements for deep caries and vital pulp treatment (in permanent teeth) and highlight key differences across global recommendations. It will also present findings from recent research into New Zealand clinicians’ perspectives and practice, and outline what clinicians can do to make the procedure more predictable.
12:15 - 1:00pm
15 years of complex oral health needs for adolescents in the Waikato
Dr. Andrew Mackie, Prosthodontist
1:00 - 1:45pm
Lunch
1:45 - 2:30pm
Restorative management of anterior teeth in children with MIH/AI
Dr. Joana Monterio, Paediatric Dentist
Enamel defects affecting anterior teeth in conditions such as molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH) and amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) can significantly impact both function and aesthetics, often leading to psychosocial distress in affected children. Managing these defects presents unique restorative challenges, including variable enamel quality, hypersensitivity, and high aesthetic expectations. This session will explore restorative strategies for the anterior dentition, with a focus on achieving aesthetic and functional improvement while preserving tooth structure in growing patients.
2:30 - 3:30pm
Fragment reattachment secondary to dental trauma
Dr. Patrick Ruck, Paediatric Dentist
3:30 - 4:00pm
Gender 101: Lessons from my Transgender child
Dr. Alex Wallace, Paediatrician
No one expects their child to be transgender. When the midwife hands you your new little bundle of joy and declares “It’s a boy!” you don’t question it.
But sometimes you do. Sometimes things don’t add up. Sometimes your small, or maybe not-so-small, person has other ideas about who they are.
That’s what happened for Alex with her second child, Sam. She thought she had another boy. He was bonny and beautiful and she was delighted. But Sam had other ideas, and slowly but surely, Sam patiently showed Alex who she really is.
Along the way, Sam taught Alex so many things. As a paediatrician and a researcher, Alex thought she knew about gender diversity and gender-affirming care. But as Sam’s gender identity became clearer, Alex realised there was so much she didn’t know, and so much she didn’t understand.
This session will discuss some of the most important lessons Alex has learned so far from Sam. Some of the lessons are “smack you in the face” obvious, others are nuanced and complex. Some will challenge you, a couple might even break your heart just a little. All are important for any of us who care for gender diverse young people. Come along to listen with an open mind and pop a tissue or two in your pocket.
4:00 - 4:15pm
Conference Close
4:30pm
Live screening of the AFL Grand Final
SOCIAL EVENTS
THURSDAY EVENING
PRESIDENT'S COCKTAIL PARTY
- Thursday 25 September 2025
- 5:30pm to 7:30pm
- Crowne Plaza Queenstown
FRIDAY EVENING
RECONNEXT Conference dinner
- Friday 26 September 2025
- 6.30pm to 11.00pm
- Cargo Brewery
Program overview
The conference offers a rich program, covering diverse topics within paediatric dentistry. Here’s a glance at some of the speakers and their topics from our program.
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- Dr. Shayden Bell
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Novel methods for early disease detection in children using intraoral scanners
- Ms Bree Jones
Intraoral scanning and automated disease detection methods promise reliable and precise diagnostics and enhanced patient communication tools. In this session, we will discuss the clinical validation of these technologies in paediatrics. We will focus on developing the knowledge and skills for clinicians to understand their biases and limitations to be able to use them safely, ethically, and responsibly.
What are you looking at?
- Dr Vanessa Cho
In this presentation Dr Cho will discuss the use of eye tracking technology in paediatric dentistry; it’s applications, what’s been done, what is to be done and how this affects your learning and practice.
Health Equity in Action: Unleashing the power of implementation science and co-design
- Professor Dianne Shanley
- Dr Marjad Page
This talk will showcase a compelling example of how community co-design and implementation science drove real world change and tackled the problem of limited access to healthcare in the remote First Nations communities of Northwest Queensland. We’ll explore practical strategies to dismantle barriers such as limited resources, stakeholder engagement and systemic challenges. Together, we can create tangible solutions that pave the way for a more equitable and inclusive healthcare landscape.
Exploring global and local oral health inequalities through a clinical lens
- Dr Jilen Patel
This presentation will showcase examples of global and local oral health inequalities and present some of the innovative strategies used to address these disparities through a clinician’s perspective.
To ChatGPT or Not To ChatGPT: everything you always wanted to know about large language models but were afraid to ask
- Professor Nigel Curtis
This presentation will dive into the fascinating world of ChatGPT. Learn about the revolutionary potential of large language models in shaping the future of academia, research, and healthcare (‘The Good’), while also considering their inherent limitations and challenges (‘The Bad’). The session will also address the role of ChatGPT in disseminating or perpetuating disinformation (‘The Ugly’). Whether you’re an AI novice or a seasoned expert, this session promises to offer valuable, multidimensional insights into this transformative technology. And yes, of course, the paragraph above was indeed written with the help of ChatGPT!
Clinicians leading the charge: Why a data-driven culture is essential for the AI age
- Dr Michelle Mun
Digital and AI technologies promise to revolutionise healthcare. How can we realise the benefits for our patients, practices, and the population, without losing our identities as clinicians? Beyond service delivery, dental practitioners must now understand the power of digital data to inform clinical decisions, enhance patient care, and contribute to system-wide improvements. We will discuss how a developing a strong data culture in dentistry is not only possible, but necessary for clinician-led digital transformation, and for refining dentistry’s role as an integral part of whole person-centred care.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
Platinum Sponsor
Gold Sponsors
Postgraduate Day and Satchel Sponsor
