-by The Founder and head lecturer of Australasian Implant Academy has achieved the ultimate honour in implantology by becoming the first Australian Diplomate for the American Board of Oral Implantology (ABOI). Dr Dean Licenblat is the first Australian ever to submit and successfully complete all the components of the American Board Examination and is setting the benchmark for dental implantology in Australia and Asia- Pacific.
Meet Dr. Dean Licenblat
BDent (USyd), MSc (Oral Implantology) Goethe, BSc (Biol. Sci.) Hons, FPFA, DABOI
FICOI, DICOI, IPS Master, Clinical Instructor Goethe University, LVIF
Dr. Dean Licenblat is the Practice Principal at premium dental practice, Sydney Dental Aesthetics and Implants (SDAI) in Martin Place, Sydney. Dean is a passionate pioneer and innovator in dental implants and is the first and most experienced in placing modern zirconia metal free implants in Australia. With a degree in dentistry, a Bachelor of Science with honours in Microbiology and a master’s degree from the Goethe University in Frankfurt with a focus on Oral Implantology and Bone Grafting, Dr Dean Licenblat is a renowned international speaker, mentor, and respected leader in the field of dental implantology.
Below we gain insights from Australia’s leading implantologist on his journey to become the first Australian Diplomate for the American Board of Oral Implantology.
Q & A with Dr Dean Licenblat
What is the American Board of Implantology?
The American Board of Oral Implantology is an independent organization that began in 1969 by the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID). The Board’s mission was and still is to certify graduated dentists at the highest standards of competency in diagnosis, surgery, and prosthetic treatment as well as complication management within the specialty of Implant Dentistry. The certification examination is psychometrically valid, reliable and is administered under secure, fair, and unbiased conditions, it is purposely rigorous and difficult to ensure those that are awarded diplomate status have current knowledge and skills to ensure practice at the highest level. Both specialists and general dentists are all examined at the same level and graded equally.
The ABOI/ID is recognized by the American Board of Dental Specialties (ABDS) as a certifying Board in Oral Implantology/ Implant Dentistry.
What did you need to do to become the first Australian Diplomate for the American Board of Oral Implantology (ABOI)?
To become a diplomate, you need to:
- complete over 750 hours of implant related CE
- show proof of over 150 implant related cases
- submit 9 complex cases with specific requirements
- sit a 4-hour 200 question written exam
- complete the final component, a 2–3-hour oral defense exam
I was the first Australian ever to submit and successfully complete all the components.
What does this achievement mean in the dental arena?
The ABOI/ID Diplomate designation symbolizes the highest level of competence in implant dentistry worldwide.
How did you feel when you achieved this?
Upon completion of the ABOI examination process I experienced a huge sense of relief but by the same token I was also very eager to find out my results, the 6 weeks following the final oral exam seemed to take forever. When I received the phone call from the ABOI to confirm I had passed all the requirements and satisfied the board to be granted diplomate status I was so elated. This was something I had spent a lot of time studying and preparing for.
What is the Australasian Implant Academy?
The Australasian Implant Academy (AIA) is an academy that brings the most comprehensive theory and hands-on implant courses in Australia. Launching with the Californian Implant Institute and featuring some of the most respected dentists in Australia, AIA offers the first ever curriculum in implant placement, from basic implantology to full arch solutions conducted on LIVE patients.
Why is your diplomate status important for AIA?
To achieve diplomate status of the ABOI took tremendous study and focus, the knowledge I gained from ABOI preparatory classes and study have not only flowed into my daily practice and made me a more diligent clinician but have largely influenced my lectures. Now when I am educating, I have what I learnt in the forefront of my mind. At the AIA, we teach in a style that lends itself to all our students attaining ABOI diplomate status should they choose to. The AIA holds patient safety as a paramount fundamental, so our teachings ensure that procedural success comes as much from education and understanding as good hand skills.
The ABOI & ICOI diplomate status requires candidates to demonstrate in-depth knowledge, proficient skills, and abilities in both the surgical and restorative aspects of implant dentistry as well as in critical aftercare even if they perform only the surgical or restorative phase. So, we at the AIA, ensure to prepare clinicians for this.
AIA was recently endorsed by the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, how did this come to be and what does it mean for AIA students?
AIA is now ICOI endorsed which means that once a clinician has completed an AIA course, they are granted Fellowship status of the ICOI and as such can have FICOI after their name. This came about as I have been a diplomate of the ICOI since 2014 and I love attending their meetings as they are always on the forefront of implant education. In order to attain ICOI endorsement, I had to submit my lectures and the course synopsis for evaluation. Once approved by the ICOI education board, the ICOI will stand behind your education program and endorse it.
Why is continuing education so important for dentists today?
Dentistry and implant dentistry will continue to evolve and change, and it is important that dentists keep learning and expanding their techniques and procedures. Today patients have more options and are able to select and embrace newer techniques and approaches available that best suit their needs whilst helping them to enhance their health and wellbeing.
At AIA, we can make this easier for dentists to achieve, providing premium courses for dentists that are designed and delivered by dentists who have been in the same position they are in.
AIA recently introduced Live Online Case Discussions that you lead, can you tell us a bit more about these?
Every fortnight on a Monday evening at 7pm we run Live Online Case Discussions. These are complimentary during this challenging time and are a brilliant way to bring clinicians together, keep ideas flowing and allow clinicians to ask more experienced practitioners to help problem solve daily implant related conundrums as well as some general dentistry. As we have a number of accomplished clinicians on the panel, we are able to look at the same case from different angles and thus offer more well-rounded treatment plans or advice than a one-man band.
If you are interested in joining these online case discussions, follow Australasian Implant Academy on social media for updates.
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