The National Osteology Group (NOG) USA celebrated its first anniversary at the 110th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Periodontology in San Diego on 31 October 2024.

In an outstanding session titled "The Art and Science of Regeneration," the NOG USA held the final round of its inaugural case competition. Six young presenters, selected from a total of 86 cases, competed for awards in two categories. The quality of the cases was exceptional. Only residents and young clinicians with a maximum of three years out of dental school were eligible to participate in the competition.

"We don’t need to worry about the future of periodontology in the US" was a frequently heard comment, referring to the impressive quality of the case presentations. The session was introduced by Sejal Thacker, leader of the NOG USA, and moderated by NOG USA Leadership Team members Jessica Latimer, HimaBindu Dukka, and Pooyan Refahi. The awards were presented by Shayan Barootchi.

The jury, consisting of Purnima Kumar, Pamela McClain, and Diego Velasquez, had the difficult task of selecting the winners. Ultimately, the winner in Category 1, "Soft tissue or periodontal regeneration around teeth," was Lan-Lin Chiou. The winner in Category 2, "Soft or hard tissue regeneration around implants," was Owen Trinh. Congratulations to both of them!

In the second part of the session, the NOG USA hosted a panel discussion moderated by Purnima Kumar, with notable experts on stage: Caitlin Darcey, Pamela McClain, Marc Nevins, Frank Schwarz, Sejal Thacker, and Hom-Lay Wang. Their discussion, titled "What’s the Evidence?" focused on cases of tissue regeneration around teeth and implants.

The NOG USA session attracted an overwhelming crowd. The room, designed for 230 participants, was overflowing, with many attendees standing and some unfortunately turned away due to safety restrictions.

In the evening, a networking reception took place, where not only was the first anniversary celebrated, but Sejal Thacker also highlighted the NOG USA’s achievements in its first year. This included the successful case competition, multiple webinars, dedicated sessions for NOG USA Ambassadors, and numerous online activities on Instagram, to name a few.

More initiatives are planned for the coming year, she announced. The 29 NOG USA Ambassadors, representing 29 different dental schools across the country, were also recognised for their support of the organisation’s mission and their role in connecting fellow residents at their schools.

The three most active ambassadors, acknowledged by Acela Martinez from the Leadership Team, received a small gift as outstanding ambassadors of the past year: Neha Mithia, Shadoe Stewart, and Prita Dhaimade.

The Osteology Foundation was pleased to support 30 residents’ attendance at the AAP Meeting in San Diego by providing grants. As an Educational Partner of the AAP, we are grateful for the continued collaboration and excellent support from the AAP. The partnership between the two organizations was further strengthened in a joint meeting of their boards, affirming a commitment to future collaborations.

A big thank-you also goes to the sponsor Geistlich North America for their support of the case competition.

For more information about the National Osteology Group USA.