National Prosthodontics Awareness Week

National Prosthodontics Awareness Week

Save the date for the 2024 National Prosthodontics Awareness Week! This year's celebration will take place April 21-27, 2024  

The ACP is busy planning tips, activity ideas, and downloadable resources, which will all be available through the fields below. This page will be updated regularly leading up to NPAW. 

It's never too early to start planning your NPAW! Your efforts and enthusiasm will enhance visibility of the specialty of prosthodontics and position prosthodontists as leaders in the dental industry!

Please reach out to media@prosthodontics.org with any questions!

Click to expand!

NPAW Webinar

Thursday, April 25, 7:00-8:00 p.m. CT
The Role of the Prosthodontist in the General Dentists Strategic Referral System
Juliet E. M. Tchorbajian, DDS, MS, FACP
New York

Dental care can range from regularly scheduled checkups to full facial surgery and reconstruction. The successful general dentist, the primary dental care provider, relies on making strategic referrals to secondary care providers to treat each patient and case as required. After a thorough clinical assessment, proper identification of the best suited of the dental specialties ensures that the patient receives the highest level of care, promoting trust and loyalty to the primary care provider.

The aim of this course is to help identify the factors of an individual case which would indicate collaboration with a prosthodontist. Clinical cases will be reviewed illustrating the process, benefits, and results of strategic collaborative referrals.

At the conclusion of this session, attendees should be able to:

• Increase awareness of the role of a prosthodontist in the general dentist’s referral stack.
• Understand the importance of proper data and record collection, and the importance of coordinating the overarching treatment plan to ensure comprehensive care is being applied.
• Analyze case review implementing coordination with strategic referrals to secondary providers and general practitioners.

Biography: Dr. Juliet Tchorbajian is a board-certified prosthodontist, Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics, and Fellow of the American College of Prosthodontists. She completed her postdoctoral MS in prosthodontics and her DDS from Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in New York City. Dr. Tchorbajian also serves as an attending faculty at Northshore LIJ University Hospital in the Implant Dentistry and Advanced Prosthodontics program. She is the Co-Chair of the National Prosthodontics Awareness Week/Public Relations Committee for the ACP. She owns a private practice in Long Island, New York.

NPAW Facts for Social Media

The message of NPAW can be spread far and wide using any of your preferred social media channels. Each year the ACP releases a new set of NPAW Facts which can be shared on social media throughout the week of NPAW.

The 2024 NPAW Facts are Now Available

You can download the 2024 NPAW Facts for social media here. Also available as a printable PDF 

The ACP has also provided sample social media captions to accompany each of the NPAW Facts that you can use as a base and change to fit your preferred audience. You can find the captions here.  

NPAW Facts are just a starting point for celebrating on social media. ACP members have also crafted their own NPAW related social media posts to highlight examples of good case work, discuss why they decided to pursue prosthodontics, and even hold contests for patients and/or dental students.

ACP members have also flexed their creative muscles while utilizing their Instagram and Facebook stories and tagging colleagues to encourage more engagement.

Use the hashtags #NPAW2024 and #Prosthodontics and be sure to tag the ACP @acprosthodontists!

Prosthodontics Roundtable Discussion

The 2024 National Prosthodontics Awareness Week/Public Relations Committee has recorded a roundtable discussion geared toward prospective students as to why they should choose to specialize in prosthodontics.

Dr. Bhavika Thakkar, Co-Chair of the National Prosthodontics Awareness Week/Public Relations Committee leads the discussion with Dr. Kevin Lassiter and Dr. Ruhanijot Cheema and discuss why they chose to specialize in prosthodontics and how it has shaped their career paths. 

You can find the full recording on our YouTube channel. 

Journal of Prosthodontics NPAW Issue

The Journal of Prosthodontics is pleased to share this special issue on Digital Scans in Prosthodontics to celebrate National Prosthodontics Awareness Week!

The complete special issue can be accessed online here: Digital Scans in Prosthodontics

The articles in this special issue will be freely available through May 31, 2024. Full-text Journal of Prosthodontics articles are always free to members of the American College of Prosthodontists.

The Journal of Prosthodontics is the official journal of the American College of Prosthodontists, the organization that represents the specialty of prosthodontics, and ensures national recognition of the specialty.

Prosthodontic Jeopardy

Prosthodontic Jeopardy is now available. This resource, contributed by NPAW Committee Member Dr. Roberta Wright, is an interactive Power Point presentation that includes questions regarding the specialty. This would be perfect for events to actively engage residents, general dentists or dental students in a friendly competition that tests the knowledge of the nuances of prosthodontics.

How to most effectively use the game:

1. Download the Power Point presentation with the game onto your desktop.
2. When playing use Presenter Mode.
3. Click the point value under the category to see the question. 
4. On the page with the question, click anywhere on the screen to reveal the answer
5. Use the purple arrow button to return to the game board

If you are keeping score, you must do so manually, there is not a tool included in the program for scoring purposes. You can download Prosthodontic Jeopardy here. 

NPAW Press Release Template

There is now a Press Release template for you to use to contact your local news stations or organizations to spread the word about NPAW.

Download the Press Release template here.

We have created an email template too for you to use when reaching out to your local media outlets.

Download the email template here. 

Additional Activities

Checklist for General Dentists regarding Head and Neck Cancer referral. 

In recent years, many ACP members have developed creative ways to keep the celebrations going digitally and others have been able to celebrate in-person as they follow their local health and safety guidelines.

Many schools and universities hosted lectures both in person and over Zoom. Some lectures were focused on encouraging dental students to learn more about pursuing prosthodontics, while others served as a way to help other dental professionals to better understand the specialty.

WATCH: 'Discover the Prosthobilities' a presentation by Dr. Juliet E. M. Tchorbajian from NPAW 2021 that presents an overview of prosthodontics and what sets it apart from other dental specialties.

ACP members have also lectured to the public by speaking at retirement homes, nursing facilities, and hosting open houses with a brief presentation.

Some have used NPAW as a great opportunity to reach out to their local dental community, either to thank referring dentists or to make a new connection.

There is no right or wrong was to celebrate NPAW! We will be adding additional ideas and resources to help you celebrate.

2023 NPAW Report

View all member submitted activities from the 2023 National Prosthodontics Awareness Week: NPAW 2023 Activities Report.

2024 PR & NPAW Committee

Dr. Juliet Tchorbajian, Co Chair
Dr. Bhavika Thakkar, Co Chair
Dr. David Remiszewski
Dr. Kevin Lassiter
Dr. Ruhanijot Cheema
Dr. Elphida Ayvazian, Division Director