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Dr. Ralf-J. Kohal is Associate Professor at the Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, Center for Dental Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Germany. He received his doctorate (Dr. Med. Dent.) in 1991 and was a visiting professor at the Department of Periodontology, University of Texas, Houston, Texas from 1993 – 1995. Dr. Kohal is Board Certified in Prosthodontics (DGPro) and has received certification in oral implantology (German Society of Implantology, DGI). In 2002 he received a lecturing qualification (Dr. Med. Dent. Habil.) in Oral Health Sciences from the University of Freiburg. His main interests are in the field of implantology (ceramic implant materials, guided bone regeneration, sinus augmentation, guided implant surgery) and prosthetics.

Jérôme Chevalier, born in 1970, is currently a full professor at the National Institute of Applied Sciences in France. After obtaining his doctorate in 1996 (Mechanical properties of zirconia of biomedical quality), Jérôme Chevalier first became a ceramics engineer in the Saint Gobain group, where he was responsible for R&D activities on biomedical applications of ceramics. In 1997, he became assistant professor at the National Institute of Applied Sciences in Villeurbanne, where he was appointed full professor in 2004. He is currently director of the materials science laboratory MATEIS (180 people). His research activities are focused on ceramics, from their processing to their mechanical and functional properties. He has published more than 180 international papers with a review process, 7 review papers in journals and encyclopaedias, 3 book chapters. He is co-author of 10 patents and his research has led to the commercialization of 6 medical products. According to Google Scholar, more than 8000 papers have cited his work. 45 of his work has been cited more than 45 times (h-factor equals 45). Jérôme Chevalier was a member of the ‘Institut Universitaire de France’ from 2009 to 2014 and is the editor of the Journal of the European Ceramic Society, the leading journal (IF 2.9) on ceramics, and the open access journal ‘Materials’ (IF of 2.8). He is highly recognized for his work on the mechanical and fatigue behaviour of ceramics, on the ageing process of zirconia-based ceramics and composites, and on bioceramics in general (ceramics for orthopaedic implants, frameworks for tissue engineering and dental ceramics). He has participated in numerous European projects on this topic, including a recent coordination (LONGLIFE, FP7 2012-2016). He has recently been awarded the prestigious “Medal of Innovation” by the CNRS and the “Sainte-Claire-Deville” medal by the French Society for Materials. He is a Fellow of the European Ceramic Society and a member of the Academy of Ceramics.

The 5 most cited works:

– Chevalier, J. What future for zirconia as a biomaterial? (2006) Biomaterials, 27 (4), pp. 535-543. Cited 833 times.

– Chevalier, J., Gremillard, L., Virkar, A.V., Clarke, D.R.

The tetragonal-monoclinic transformation to zirconia: Lessons learned and future trends

(2009) Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 92 (9), pp. 1901-1920. Cited 635 times.

– Chevalier, J., Cales, B., Drouin, J.M. Aging of Y-TZP ceramics at low temperatures

(1999) Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 82 (8), pp. 2150-2154. Cited 465 times.

– De Aza, A.H., Chevalier, J., Fantozzi, G., Schehl, M., Torrecillas, R.

Crack growth resistance of alumina, zirconia and zirconia-cured alumina ceramics for joint prostheses (2002) Biomaterials, 23 (3), pp. 937-945. Cited 447 times.

– Chevalier, J., Gremillard, L. Ceramics for medical applications: A picture for the next 20 years

(2009) Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 29 (7), pp. 1245-1255. Cited 415 times.

since 2016 Deputy Head of the Clinical Department of Oral Surgery and Orthodontics at the University Clinic for Dentistry and Oral Health of the Medical University of Graz

since 2014 Associate Professor at the Clinical Department of Oral Surgery and Orthodontics of the University Clinic for Dentistry and Oral Health of the Medical University of Graz

10-12/2013 Research stay at the Clinic for Crown and Bridge Prosthetics and Materials Science at the University of Zurich, Switzerland (Prof. C Hämmerle)

09-11/2012 Guest-Professor at Prince Phillip Dental Hospital, Dept. of Implant Dentistry & Oral Rehabilitation, University of Hong Kong (Prof. NP Lang)

01-03/2011: Research stay at the Clinic for Oral Surgery of the Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf ( Prof. F Schwarz / Prof. J Becker)

since 04/2010: Lecturer at the Clinical Department of Oral Surgery and Orthodontics of the University Clinic for Dentistry and Oral Health of the Medical University of Graz

2009: DGI-APW Implantology Curriculum (Germany)

2005-2010: Assistant at the clinical department for oral surgery and orthodontics of the University Clinic for Dentistry and Oral Health of the Medical University of Graz

2003-2006: Doctoral studies in the medical sciences MedUni-Graz

2004-2005: Postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Center for Molecular Medicine, MedUni Graz

1998-2004: Study of dentistry at MedUni Graz

1998-2004:           Zahnmedizinstudium MedUni Graz

2000: Research stay at the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Pittsburgh (UPMC), USA

1994-2000: Medical studies at the Karl-Franzens University, Graz

1980 – 1985 Study of dentistry at the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg

1985 Licence to practice as a dentist

1985 – 1987 PhD in the field of experimental microbiology

1985 – 1990 Assistant doctor at the Department of Oral Surgery at the University Hospital of Freiburg with further training in the fields of dentoalveolar surgery, periodontology and implantology, collaboration in the international team of implantology (ITI) under Prof. Gisbert Krekeler and Prof. Wilfried Schilli

1990 Recognition as dentist for oral surgery

1990 Joint practice with Prof. Dr. Dr. Heinz Kniha in Munich, focus on implantology and periodontology

1994 Member international team of implantology, ITI

1996 Member of the ITI Development Commission

1994 – 2003 Consultant for implantology appointed by mutual agreement

2001 Idea and conception of a ceramic dental implant made of zirconium dioxide

since 2002 Scientific project on zirconium dioxide implants at the Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Munich

2003 Lectureship at the Danube University Krems

2005 International patent special surface ceramic implants

2006 – 2010 Further scientific projects on ceramic implants and international publications

2011 Member of the medical faculty of the University of Basel, scientific collaboration at the High Tech Research Department of the Kantonsspital Basel under the direction of Prof. Hans Florian Zeilhofer, numerous publications and international lectures

2012 preclinical science project part 1 to investigate the biological width of ceramic dental implants compared to titanium implants in collaboration with the University Dental Clinic Bern, the High Tech Research Center of the University Hospital Basel, the Anatomical Institute of the University of Munich and the Medical Health Center San Antonio under the direction of Prof. Dr. David Cochran

2013/2014 preclinical science project part 2 for research into inflammatory changes in ceramic dental implants in comparison with titanium implants in cooperation with the University Dental Clinic Bern, the High Tech Research Center of the University Hospital Basel, the anatomical institute of the University of Munich and the Medical Health Center San Antonio under the direction of Prof. Dr. David Cochran

2015/2016 further international publications and lectures

Mutlu Özcan has earned her Dentistry Licenciate in 1993 in Istanbul, Turkey, Dr. med. dent. degree in 1999 in Cologne, Germany. After working as an invited visiting researcher at the University of Turku, Finland between 2000-2002, she did her Doctorate in Medical Sciences (PhD) in 2003 in Groningen, The Netherlands and appointed to be a full professor for Clinical Dental Biomaterials at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands in 2007.
Since 2009, she is the Head of Division of Dental Biomaterials at the Clinic for Reconstructive Dentistry, University of Zurich, Switzerland. She also holds Honorary Professorship positions at various universities some of which are São Paolo State University (Brazil), University of Florida (USA), and University of Hong Kong (China).
She has authored more than 650 ISI Web of Science indexed original scientific and clinical publications, is a well-sought lecturer, receiver of several international awards, and serves for the editorial boards of numerous scientific journals.
She is European Prosthodontic Association (EPA)-recognized Specialist in Prosthodontics, Honorary Secretary of the EPA, Past-President of the International Association of Dental Research (IADR)/Dental Materials Group (DMG), Fellow of Academy of Dental Materials (FADM), Fellow of International College of Dentistry (FICD), and Fellow in Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, FDS RCPS (Glasgow).
Her clinical expertise is on reconstructive dentistry and her scientific work focuses on translational and clinical research with a particular emphasis on the development and application of dental biomaterials.

Prof. Özcan is the recipient of the prestigious “2018 IADR Distinguished Scientist Wilmer Souder Award”.

Her clinical expertise is in reconstructive dentistry and her scientific work focuses on translational and clinical research with particular emphasis on the development and application of dental biomaterials.

After his studies in Rome, he joined the Ceramic Technology Laboratory of the National Committee for Nuclear Energy (now ENEA), where he was involved in the characterisation of the thermophysical properties of uranium and plutonium oxides used as nuclear fuels. Since 1975, under agreements with the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (CEA) and with AGIP Nucleare S.p.A., he has carried out studies on the behaviour of ceramic oxides as fuels for thermal and fast breeder nuclear reactors under nominal and non-normal conditions.

In 1989, following the moratorium on nuclear energy activities in Italy, he transferred the know-how and technologies of his research group to the development of ceramics for clinical applications, with particular emphasis on zirconia. He was head of the research group in the National Research Council’s Advanced Materials Programme and scientific coordinator of EU-funded projects. In 2000 he joined Tecnobiomedica S.p.A. as R&D project manager, where he worked on the development of medical devices for orthopaedic and cardiovascular applications. From 2005 to 2014 he was Scientific Director of the R&D facility MeLab of GHIMAS S.p.A. (Brindisi, Italy), where he developed dental implants using advanced ceramic composites and ceramic and polymer scaffolds for bone regeneration.  Since 2000, he has been scientific consultant to the Medical Products Division of CeramTec GmbH.

In 1997 he was appointed lecturer at the Faculty of Orthopaedics of the Medical Faculty of the Catholic University in Rome, where he currently teaches at the Faculty of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. He is also Senior Associate Scientist at the Institute for Science and Technology of Ceramic Materials of the Italian National Research Council (ISTEC-CNR), Faenza.

Prof. Piconi is a member of the Italian Society of Biomaterials (SIB), the European Society of Biomaterials (ESB), the International Society of Ceramics in Medicine (ISCM), the Italian Society for Research in Orthopaedics (IORS). He is reviewer for several scientific journals. He is the author of more than 100 articles and book chapters, which had more than 8500 readings and more than 2500 citations by May 2018 (Research Gate).

Deputy Head of the Department of Oral Surgery and Implantology at the University Dental Clinic (UZK) of the Medical University of Vienna (MUW), Chair of the UZK Working Group for Digital Dentistry.Private referral practice in 1190 Vienna with focus on augmentation surgery and template-guided implantation protocols. Active board member and former president of the Austrian Society of Implantology (ÖGI), the Scientific Advisory Board of the ÖGZMK (ZV Wien), scientific conference committee member of the European Association for Osseointegration (EAO).

7 national and international scientific awards, author of over 60 peer-reviewed publications in international and national journals and textbooks. National and international lecturing activity at scientific conferences and hands-on courses. Research, teaching and lecturing activities as well as organization of international congresses and post-doctoral training events with the main focus on implantological augmentation techniques, peri-crestal bone changes and template-guided insertion of titanium and ceramic implants.

1982 – 1984              Assistant Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Freiburg, Germany

1987 – 1990              Associate Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Freiburg, Germany

1991 – 1998               Manager Research and Development, Cendres & Métaux SA, Biel/Bienne, Switzerlan

1998 – 2005              Associate Professor and Lecturer, School of Dental Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland

2006 – 2010              Associate Professor and Lecturer, Center for Dental and Oral Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland

2008 – 2010               Lecturer for Dental Materials, School of Dentistry, University of Freiburg, Germany

2008 – 2017               Business Unit Director vitaclinical, VITA, Bad Säckingen, Germany

2010 – 2020               Scientific Director, Division of Dental Materials and Engineering, Clinic for Reconstructive Dentistry, University Center for Dental Medicine Basel, Switzerland

2014 – 2020               Head of Research & Development, VITA, Bad Säckingen, Germany

since 07/2020            Lecturer for Dental Materials, University Center for Dental Medicine Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland