CATEGORY 18 AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST EVENTS For many Australian dentists, the gap between wanting and actually having the skills and confidence to place implants can feel insurmountable. Weekend courses offer theory but little practical experience. Referring out becomes the default, even when the dentist knows a broader skill set would better serve their patients. Dr Rick Iskandar and Dr Shahana Abed both found themselves at this crossroads. They wanted to offer comprehensive care, not fragmented referrals. But they needed more than lectures – they needed mentorship, real-world experience, and a pathway that would meet them where they were. That’s what led them to the Australasian Implant Academy (AIA). The decision to train For Dr Rick, the motivation was clear. “It is extremely difficult to provide truly informed consent, discuss a broad range of treatment options, and execute ‘ideal’ treatment aimed at improving patients’ quality of life without possessing an appropriate surgical skill set,” he explains. Before formal training, he found himself placing implant-related treatment in what he calls the “too hard basket”, referring anything remotely surgical to his local oral surgeon. “I chose the Australasian Implant Academy for its balance of rigorous didactic teaching within the Fellowship program From referral to restoration Two graduates of the Australasian Implant Academy (AIA) share how structured mentorship, live-patient experience, and ongoing support helped them build genuine clinical confidence in implant dentistry. By Danny Chan and the evidence-based, tried-and-tested clinical expertise demonstrated throughout the training,” Dr Rick says. What stood out to him was that this expertise wasn’t just theoretical; it was shown on real patients through the externship component, with implants placed and restored ethically within the Australian clinical environment. Dr Shahana Abed’s path was shaped by a long-standing interest in surgery. “I’ve always been drawn to surgery. When I first graduated over 20 years ago, I actually started an MFOS postgrad program, but migration meant that pathway didn’t continue,” she recalls. When she decided to move into implant dentistry, Dr Shahana researched programs carefully. She was deciding between completing the MSc at Goethe or training in Australia. Learning that Dr Dean Licenblat, AIA’s head lecturer, is not only a Goethe graduate but also a senior tutor and the first ABOI-certified clinician in Australia made the decision easier. “Combined with the calibre of the wider AIA faculty and international guest lecturers, choosing AIA was an easy decision,” she says. Starting from an honest baseline Both dentists entered at Fellowship and Externship 1: the beginning of AIA’s tiered pathway. For Dr Rick, this was exactly where he needed to be. “At that stage, I hadn’t placed or restored an implant, and despite having attended several weekend courses, I still didn’t feel confident taking implants from diagnosis to restoration on real patients,” he says. The tiered structure allowed him to start from an honest baseline and build skills progressively, supported by clinicians performing these procedures daily. Dr Shahana, who also entered with no prior implant experience, found the structure worked extremely well. “The learn–apply–return model meant I could progress at my own pace, build confidence, and only move forward when I was clinically ready,” she explains. This approach stands in contrast to one-size-fits-all weekend courses. AIA’s four-tiered Fellowship pathway – from Fellowship 1 through Full Arch Fellowship – allows dentists to enter at a level matching their experience, then progress as their skills develop. Mentorship that goes beyond the classroom Both graduates emphasise the quality of mentorship as a defining feature of their experience. “The quality of mentorship was excellent and very practical,” Dr Rick says. “Dr Dean Licenblat, as head lecturer, along with co-founders Dr Ned Restom and Dr Shahana Abed Dr Rick Iskandar
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