Combine hundreds of pages of dental industry demographics, research and reports with 20 key opinion leaders in prosthodontics and one external facilitator. The result? A meeting of the minds - Reframing the Future of Prosthodontics: An Invitational Leadership Summit.

Sponsored by the American College of Prosthodontists and the ACP Education Foundation, leaders from academic, corporate and practice environments immersed themselves in a review of critical issues facing prosthodontics during the two-day summit in June 2006. Participants were asked to identify strategic issues for growing the specialty and graduate educational programs and to reach consensus on key tactics to ensure the future success of prosthodontics.

Throughout the discussions held at the Chicago O’Hare Airport Hyatt Regency Hotel on June 11-12, 2006, the group considered questions including: How much do Prosthodontics and our Advanced Prosthodontic Programs need to grow? What role does developing technology play in the future of Prosthodontics? Who are our customers and our communities of interest? What are their needs? What percentage of our resources should be devoted to each? What should the specialty of Prosthodontics look like in five years?

An external facilitator, who managed the discussion and focused the discourse, helped to condense many valuable comments to five consensus statements.

• There is a need to increase patient advocacy and awareness efforts in the specialty of prosthodontics.
• There is an urgent need to transform and grow the field of prosthodontics within the next 10 years.
• The numbers of prosthodontists and advanced training programs need to grow.
• Science and technology will be the driving forces in this transformational growth.
• The culture of prosthodontics needs to change to leading the specialties and educational environment in restorative, implant, esthetic and reconstructive dentistry.

When the Summit participants were challenged to envision a successful prosthodontic future, growth of prosthodontics emerged as the central theme. The data reviewed indicated that there is a need to increase:

• the number of prosthodontists,
• the size and number of the prosthodontic specialty educational programs,
• the presence of prosthodontics in the academic environment
• continuing education offerings by prosthodontists, and
• the activity and support for prosthodontic research and technology.

Achieving this future requires present and succinct actions that can only fully be supported by a combination of our individual, organizational, academic, federal and industrial resources.

The Summit outcomes will be the driving force behind two subsequent invitational meetings with key stakeholders in the field of prosthodontics that will be convened by the ACP in coming months. The two invitational follow-up meetings—one for corporate sponsors and one for the FORUM organizations—will serve as venues for review of the Summit recommendations and where strategies for collaboration with these two stakeholder groups will be developed.

Reports will be published the Reframing the Future of Prosthodontics section of the website as they become available.