The eagerly awaited 2009/2010 lecture season began with a lecture presented by Simon Cleary at Leyland, Lancashire.

Simon qualified as a dental technician in 1986 with the Royal Army Dental Corps.  During 23 yrs service in the Army he gained experience and advanced qualifications in Orthodontics, Maxillo Facial, Fixed and Removable Prosthetics.  His final appointment in the army was as the Senior Dental Technician for the army.  Since departing the armed forces in 2005 Simon has spent 3 yrs with DeguDent as a trainer covering geographies encompassing Scandinavia, the Baltics and Iberia as well as the UK.  The majority of his time with DeguDent was spent with CAD/CAM and zirconia in particular.  He joined the Surrey Milling Centre in September 2008 as technical director and in addition to this offers help and advice on all aspects of the CAD/CAM world to SMC customers.

EDUCATIONAL AIMS AND OBJECTIVES (Dental Technician)
1. To explain the material and its uses within restorative dentistry.
2. To outline the clinical preparation requirements for secure all ceramic restorations.
3. Portray what is required from the laboratory to ensure the best chances of success.
4. Explanation and demonstration of CAD/CAM software and machinery.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Delegates will have a better understanding of the material and its capabilities and limitations.
2. Awareness of the preparation requirements for successful all ceramic restorations.
3. Confidence to be able to discuss with clinicians the use of zirconia as a real alternative to metal bonded ceramics.

Feedback from the night included:
"A very informative presentation"
"Good introduction to Zirconia"

Most successful/useful aspect of the course?"
Brought me up to date regarding white and coloured Zirconia"
"Latest info on a rapidly changing field"
"A good introduction to a new subject"
"I gained information that I would have been unaware of previously"
"Better knowledge of materials and milling possibilites"
"Technical information about Zirconia frameworks"
"The history and development of Zirconia and its uses"

How can we improve on this topic?
"More information on veneering porcelain"
"More on milling"

The meeting was approved as 1.5 hours of verifiable CPD