8 AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST NEWS In an era where online modules and prerecorded lectures have become the norm, the Advanced Dentistry Institute (ADI) is doing something increasingly rare, putting real patients back at the centre of clinical training. Founded in 2013 by Dr Yohan omas, a specialist prosthodontist with over a decade of mentoring experience, the institute was built on a premise that remains as relevant today as it was at the beginning: that genuine clinical con dence comes from doing the work, not watching someone else do it. More than a decade on, ADI has grown into a community of over 365 alumni, from general dentists to specialists who came looking for skills and left with something far better: the con dence and ability to provide high-quality care within their own practice. What sets ADI apart isn’t the training alone. It’s the support and guidance behind it. Courses are conducted at a purposebuilt university in India, a 33-chair facility equipped with sterilisation suites, modern surgical motors, and full CBCT diagnostics. Patients are medically and dentally screened before any course begins. Every candidate is paired with their own specialist mentor. e group sizes are deliberately small because the one-to-one model only works if it’s actually one-to-one. Over ve days, candidates place implants, perform surgical extractions, or treat multi-canal root canals on live patients. No models no cadavers and certainly no animal heads “Our goal is simple,” says Dr omas. “To bridge the gap between theory and con dent clinical application. We don’t want you to just know the technique, we want you to own it and you can only do that by getting hands on experience” e impact extends well beyond the candidates themselves. rough its e prosthodontist who took Australian dentists to India, and changed how they practice university partnership, ADI provides free dental treatment to screened patients in underserved communities, people for whom these procedures would otherwise be out of reach. It’s a model that is, as Dr omas puts it, as ethical as it is educational. e India course portfolio spans beginner and advanced implant placement, All-on-X, surgical/impacted extractions, rotary endodontics, and a recently introduced full denture program. Back in Australia, the training extends across the whole practice. A one-day implant restorative course gives dentists hands-on experience in impressions, digital scanning, and crown insertion plus practical skills for the clinical-to-lab work ow. For dental hygienists, a dedicated implant maintenance course covers periimplant assessment, instrumentation, and early detection of complications. And for practices expanding into providing implant treatment, a half-day surgical support program equips dental assistants with the setup, sterility, and chairside work ow fundamentals that keep procedures running smoothly. Each program is built around the same principle: leave knowing you can do it, not just that you’ve been taught it. e experience doesn’t end when you get back to your practice, either. ADI runs pre-course preparation and post-course clinical mentorship in Australia, monthly sessions, ongoing case planning, and inclinic mentoring visits from Dr omas for candidates who want support in their own practices. Sally Lumber, is the course coordinator at ADI. Her background spans dental assisting through to practice management, and her role covers everything a candidate might otherwise have to worry about; from accommodation and airport transfers to cultural excursions, and she can provide the kind of guidance that only comes from having worked in every aspect of a dental practice. “We know our candidates are often stepping out of their comfort zones,” says Sally. “So we make it easy. All you need to bring is your desire to learn.” Candidates come back having done the work, and their testimonials re ect it. Within weeks they’re placing their rst solo implants and keeping the surgical extractions they’d once been referring. ey describe knowing, for the rst time, exactly where their skill level sits and what they’re ready to attempt. For the general dentist tired of referring cases that they know they are capable of, or the new graduate who can already see the ceiling, ADI o ers something the standard CPD calendar doesn’t: training on real patients, with a specialist beside you, and support that continues long after you’re home. What could your next ve days look like, if you spent them closing that gap? u
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