Next Step Functional Occlusion Symposium 2026 - 29th-30th of May - Copenhagen

Next Step Functional Occlusion Symposium

The Next Step Functional Occlusion Symposium will be a very insightful two-day event where leading experts come together to explore the latest advancements in functional occlusion. From the intersection of aesthetics and function to the transformative role of digital technology, implant occlusion, and a effects of different diagnostic tools this symposium is designed to provide actionable knowledge for dental professionals navigating the next step in functional occlusion, predictable and safe patient care.

Program Friday

8.30-9.00 Registration and light breakfast

9.00-9.15 Welcome by Dr. Ian Buckle and Peter Gerdes, DentaNet

9.15-11.00 Dr. Jay Levy, Dr. Salvador Congost and Dr. Ian Buckle

A Unified Approach to Occlusion, Full-Mouth Rehabilitation and TMD - Part 1

​

Synopsis Modern dentistry draws from multiple occlusal philosophies—Dawson, Pankey, Bioaesthetics, Kois, Spear, LVI, and contemporary posture-based approaches. Each framework offers valuable insights, yet practitioners often struggle to reconcile them into a single, coherent, clinically applicable system.

This full lecture presents a unified, principle-based approach to occlusion, full-mouth rehabilitation, and TMD management. Led by Dr. Ian Buckle, Dr. Salvador Congost, and Dr. Jay Levy, the course blends decades of clinical experience, interdisciplinary knowledge, and state-of-the-art digital workflows to show how seemingly different philosophies converge when reduced to fundamentals.

Participants will learn how to diagnose, plan, and deliver predictable restorative and rehabilitative care using a structured, defensible, and repeatable process—regardless of case complexity.

Learning objectives

• Understand the core principles shared across major occlusal philosophies

  
  

• Apply a structured, stepwise approach to evaluating occlusion, joints, function, posture, and airway

  
  

• Identify the aetiology of TMD using a modern, multifactorial model

  
  

• Execute full-mouth rehabilitations with predictable aesthetics, function, and longevity

  
  

• Integrate digital tools—including facial scans, Modjaw, joint imaging, and digital design—to enhance diagnosis and treatment

  
  

• Communicate effectively with patients and laboratories through a unified language of function

  
  

• Recognize red flags, instability patterns, and patient profiles that require interdisciplinary care

About the lecturers

11.00-11.30 Break

11.30-13.00 Dr. Jay Levy, Dr. Salvador Congost and Dr. Ian Buckle

A Unified Approach to Occlusion, Full-Mouth Rehabilitation and TMD - Part 2

13.00-14.00 Lunch

14.00-15.30 Dr. Jay Levy, Dr. Salvador Congost and Dr. Ian Buckle

A Unified Approach to Occlusion, Full-Mouth Rehabilitation and TMD - Part 3

15.30-16.00 Break

16.00-17.00 Robert 'Bobby' C. Supple

The Evolution of Digital Occlusion

T-Scan Patterns and our AI future.

Synopsis

This presentation explores the evolution of Digital Occlusal Force Distribution Patterns captured

with the T-Scan Computerized Occlusal Analysis system. By visualizing force movement around

and within the arches, clinicians gain access to 2-D and 3-D objective measurements that

elevate traditional articulating paper markings into the digital era of Dental Medicine. These

distribution signatures correlate directly with intraoral structural damage caused by microtrauma, frictional interference, and imbalance. Smart-sensor recordings redefine long-held assumptions about contact points, lines, and planes of occlusion offering a precise, organized, and fully documented approach to occlusal diagnosis.

Learning Objectives

• Evaluate a patient's envelope of force distribution by identifying and interpreting the patterns recorded into and out of MIP, to improve treatment outcomes for both the habitual bite and the skeletal bite.

  
  

• Implement orthotic and equilibration principles over the 4th dimension of time. This means teaching clinicians to think dynamically, not statically. Occlusion is not a snapshot, it is a trajectory.

  
  

• Recognize how the evolution of the general dentist into an oral physician opens new pathways for managing TM joint health, regulating sleep-related breathing patterns, and supporting systemic wellness and understanding how each decade of a patient’s life introduces distinct diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities that effectively turn every existing patient into a “new” patient.

  
  

• Approach occlusion with clarity, confidence, and consistency by grounding yourself in

  time-tested principles and enhancing them with today’s digital technologies.

About Dr. Robert 'Bobby' C. Supple

Dr. Robert (Bobby) Supple is a graduate of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (1980)

and completed the Pankey Institute curriculum in 1999, with advanced studies through the

American Equilibration Society and the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain.

With more than 40 years in private practice, Dr. Supple has focused extensively on dental

occlusion. An early adopter of digital dentistry, he introduced T-Scan technology to his practice in 1990 and later developed the concept of Habitual Force Distribution Patterns, which he has presented internationally and published in the Handbook of Research on Computerized Occlusal Analysis Technology Applications in Dental Medicine (2018). After thousands of clinical scans, he continues to teach and mentor clinicians in the integration of time-testedocclusal principles with modern digital technology.

Dr. Supple is a member of the American Equilibration Society, where he serves as President for

2025–2026.

17.00-18.30 Networking, snacks and exhibition

Networking Dinner Friday Evening

A stunning view of Copenhagen from the Top Floor (25th level) of the Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel will be the framework for our networking dinner with all the speakers and delegates.

Program Saturday

9.00-10.15 Dr. Morten Worsøe

Avoiding or Treating Red Flag TMD Patients!?!

Synopsis Most of us have started a treatment where we wished we had stayed in bed….

So why are some patients extremely complex when they appear straightforward and as simple as the patient we treated yesterday?

The purpose of this lecture:

• Identify all red flag patients

• Avoid creating red flag patients

We will examine anatomical variations, predisposing factors, non-odontogenic risk factors, and personal traits that contribute to complexity.

Effective and efficient patient selection requires a systematic approach. We will develop our ability to identify this patient group early and review step-by-step protocols to assess the full extent of the risk.

Through patient cases, we will gain insight into the iatrogenic risks of creating red flag patients and learn strategies to prevent them.

Finally, we will explore treatment modalities that can transform high-risk patients into successful cases and deliver superior care.

Learning Objectives:

• Strategic risk analysis

• Patient selection criteria

• Overview of the most common red flags

• Treatment risk factors

• Evidence-based treatment modalities

About the lecturer

Dr. Morten Worsøe graduated in 2001 and is co-founder of a TMD-focused practice south of Copenhagen, established in 2022. A graduate of both the Dawson Academy and Spear Education, Morten has delivered over 120 lectures on TMD and advanced rehabilitations since the 2010s. He is passionate about all aspects of dentistry and committed to sharing his expertise in thorough, structured, patient-centered care.

10.15-10.45 Break

10.45-12.00 Dt. Przemek Seweryniak

The Visual Blueprint – How Photography & Precise Records Dictate Functional Success

Synopsis We have swapped wax for pixels and the powder brush for the milling unit. The Bunsen burner is off, and AI is now proposing the designs. But here is the irony. The AI is incredibly fast, but it is completely blind.

In this lecture, Przemek Seweryniak returns to the stage to demonstrate why, even in an AI-driven workflow, the camera is the only thing keeping us grounded in reality. Przemek will show how a strict photographic protocol has replaced the analog facebow, allowing us to guide the algorithms to create restorations that fit the face, not just the model. It’s a look at how we use 2D data to drive 3D design, ensuring we aren't just letting the computer play video games with your patient’s occlusion.

From this lecture you will learn:

• How we have eliminated the analog facebow (the "Visual Facebow") by using specific photographic angles to orient 3D digital models with absolute precision.

  
  

• The Formula 1 Analogy. AI is a Ferrari that crashes in the hands of a novice but wins in the hands of a master. We discuss why deep knowledge of occlusion and esthetics is the "steering wheel" required to guide the modern algorithm safely.

  
  

• How to achieve high-end monolithic esthetics using Zirconia and LiSi without deep layering, relying on correct morphology and a final "microlayered-glass" sealing of the surface.

  
  

• The Input/Output Equation. A breakdown of exactly what records I need to design a functional case digitally, and why "guessing" on the screen is more dangerous than guessing in wax.

  
  

• Analog Soul, Digital Body. Why the machine can’t replace the technician's eye, and how to communicate so we get the result we both want.

About the lecturer

Dt. Przemek Seweryniak is a Certified Dental Technician and the founder of Cosmodent in Malmö, Sweden. With a career spanning over 30 years, Przemek has established himself as a leader in high-end esthetics and functional design.

A pioneer in digital dentistry, Przemek has been working with digital scan and design since 2002 and implemented in-house CAD/CAM production as early as 2008. He is a member of the prestigious Dental Technicians Guild (DTG) and a founding member and past President of the Swedish Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (SACD). In 2016, he was honored with the Sverker Toreskog Award for his contributions to the field.

12.00-13.00 Lunch

13.00-14.30 Dr. Dinos Kountouras

Digital Full Arch Implant Rehabilitation.

A Patient-Centric Approach for Superior Treatment Outcomes - Part 1

Synopsis Recent digital technological advances have allowed for any full arch implant case to be digitally planned. Furthermore, the adoption of an advanced digital workflow that involves the creation of a virtual patient model by combining the digital records of intraoral scans, face scans, CBCT, digital tracking of the patient's own mandibular movements and an optical impression of the position of the implants could ensure not only the optimal implant positioning and treatment planning process but also the best fit of the future implant prosthesis. 

For predictable long term functional and aesthetic clinical results to be achieved, not only the most appropriate materials should be used but also this advanced digital workflow should be combined with some well established traditional prosthetic methodology in order for the correct treatment position to be established and confirmed.

In this presentation you will learn:

• How to create a virtual avatar of a patient and treatment plan from the smile design stage up to the placement of the implants and delivery of the final prosthesis.

  
  

• How innovative implant designs would allow not only for an optimised biologic response and healing process but also for immediate implant loading protocols to be achieved.

  
  

• How to digitally design the most appropriate implant prosthesis using the patient's own jaw movements rather than a virtual articulator.

  
  

• How to incorporate well established traditional prosthetic principles in order to establish and verify the correct treatment position.

  
  

• How to achieve predictable results from the virtual design phase up to the final actual clinical outcomes.

About the lecturer Dr. Dinos Kountouras BDS, MSc, PGC, PhD completed his dental studies at the University of Liverpool in England in 1991 and then went on to complete the Master of Science in Prosthetic Dentistry and also the PhD in Prosthetic Dentistry and Biomaterials at the Eastman Dental Institute, University of London, UK. Following his studies in the UK, Dr. Kountouras went on to the USA where he completed the full time postgraduate program in oral implantology at the Department of Implant Dentistry of New York University, USA with Program Director Dr. Dennis Tarnow. He is a former Lecturer at the Dental School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.

Dr. Kountouras is a Dawson Academy UK graduate and an Affiliate Member of the European Academy of Esthetic Dentistry. He is the founding and honorary president of the Hellenic Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry and a key opinion leader for various dental industry product manufacturers. He is actively involved in dental research and education and frequently lectures at national and international meetings and conferences.

He practices privately in the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Toowoomba and Melbourne,  Australia with a special clinical interest in full mouth rehabilitation and oral implantology treatments. 

14.30-15.00 Break

15.00-16.30 Dr. Dinos Kountouras

Digital Full Arch Implant Rehabilitation.

A Patient-Centric Approach for Superior Treatment Outcomes - Part 1

16.30-16.45 Closing remarks, Q+A and end of the Symposium