136 © 2006 The Author

Journal compilation © 2006 Australian Society of Endodontology

Aust Endod J 2006; 32: 136

Blackwell Publishing AsiaMelbourne, AustraliaAEJAustralian Endodontic Journal1329-19472006 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2006 Australian Society of Endodontology2006323136••Letter to the Editor

Letter to the EditorLetter to the Editor

Letter to the President of the Australian Society of Endodontology

Reflections on the recent Postgraduate Endodontic Forum

Dear Mr President,

I wish to convey my appreciation on behalf of the endo-dontic postgraduate community for the ASE’s recent sup-port of the inaugural Endodontic Forum. I have receivedsignificant feedback from the participants expressing theirgratitude towards the ASE for assisting to convene thisforum and for the organisers, principally Professor Geof-frey Heithersay, for their efforts in bringing this to bear.It was felt that the benefits gained from this event shouldbe extended to future graduate students; the overwhelm-ing sentiment was for this to become a biannual or three-yearly initiative. The following is a summary of some ofthe feedback received:1. Hosting the forum around a designated theme (in thiscase resorption) provided an excellent opportunity tocover this area in depth and provided focussed discussion.That said, due to the interactive and flexible nature inwhich the forum was held, the opportunity for coverage ofperipheral issues, not common among the institutions wasgreatly appreciated.2. Continuing this, the presence of all Australian trainingprograms (and New Zealand representatives), providedthe opportunity to appreciate the subtle differences intraining provided by the various institutions with particu-

lar attention to philosophies held and amenities provided.It was unanimously felt that this cooperation between theinstitutions could only benefit the profession and morefrequent interaction such as provided by this event shouldbe encouraged.3. The attendance of the respective program directorsimproved the level of debate and allowed a more in-depthdiscussion of treatment philosophies, particularly duringthe ‘case report’ section of the forum.4. Several of the graduates attending this forum had alsoattended the endodontic microscopy course held in Syd-ney earlier in the year. Again, they found the interactionwith interstate colleagues to be most valuable and wereparticularly grateful for the ASE support in this activityas well.In summary, the overwhelming feedback from the gradu-ate students attending the inaugural Endodontic PostGraduate Forum has been positive. Without the financialand organising support provided by the ASE it would nothave been the success it was. On behalf of all attendees,I wish to thank the ASE and its membership for theirsupport and hope that this can become the first of manypostgraduate forums.

Mark O’SullivanDental School, University of Queensland, Brisbane,

Queensland, Australia