National Prosthodontics Awareness Week
Save the date for the 2025 National Prosthodontics Awareness Week! This year's celebration will take place April 20-26, 2025
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!
NPAW Webinar
Tuesday, April 22, 7:00-8:00 p.m. CT
From Aspiration to Specialization: Our Path to Prosthodontics
Juliet E.M. Tchorbajian, DDS, MS, FACP
Bhavika V. Thakkar, BDS, DDS, PGDAD
Join two prosthodontists as they share their personal journeys to specialization, from their initial aspirations in dentistry to navigating the challenges of dental school and beyond. This lecture will provide valuable insights into the path to becoming a prosthodontist, including the educational requirements, residency experience, and key lessons learned along the way. A prosthodontist is the key driver of the treatment plan; they both will present complex case diagnoses, treatment planning to execution. This lecture will emphasize the importance of documentation and how to learn from previous work to inform future treatment planning.
Whether you are a pre-dental or dental student, a prosthodontic resident, a faculty member, a practicing prosthodontist, or a patient curious about the field of prosthodontics, this session will offer firsthand perspectives and practical advice for every step of your prosthodontic journey.
At the conclusion of this webinar, attendees should be able to:
- Understand the pathway to prosthodontics including the educational and training requirements for becoming a prosthodontist.
- Explain the role of the prosthodontist in patient care, and how they differ from general dentists.
- Differentiate between the different career paths of a prosthodontist, including academia, private practice, and hospital-based prosthodontics.
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.
Biography: Dr. Bhavika V. Thakkar completed dental school in 2009 at MGD Dental College in India. She then graduated from the NYU post graduate prosthodontics program in 2018. She was honored to receive the Excellence in Teaching Award in 2018 which started her career in academics. She was an assistant clinical professor at the University of Kansas City for five years where she directed the Fixed Prosthodontics Course for pre-doctoral students. Currently, she has transitioned into full time private practice. She is the Co-Chair of the National Prosthodontics Awareness Week/Public Relations Committee for the ACP and has peer reviewed articles for esteemed dental journals.
2024 National Prosthodontic Awareness Week Webinar, The Role of the Prosthodontist in the General Dentists Strategic Referral System, on demand
NPAW Social Media Graphics
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 social media graphics which can be shared on social media throughout the week of NPAW.
The 2025 NPAW social media graphics are now available!
You can download the 2025 NPAW graphics for social media here. This year's graphics are prompts that you can use to engage with your community on your specific journey with prosthodontics, allowing the content to specify to you!
If you'd like to customize the NPAW graphics, you can find the instructions on how to access them on Canva with step by step instructions on how to edit them here.
NPAW graphics 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 #NPAW2025 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 a special issue, Sleep Medicine, Sleep Apnea, and Prosthodontics, to celebrate National Prosthodontics Awareness Week, April 20-26, 2025! The articles in this special issue will be freely available to read and share throughout the week. Full-text Journal of Prosthodontics articles are always free to members of the American College of Prosthodontists.
This issue was organized by Guest Editor (and ACP member), Dr. Jean Wu, Educational Director of Newport Coast Oral Facial Institute in Newport Beach, California.
For this special edition of the Journal of Prosthodontics, Dr. Wu gathered a diverse group of clinicians to discuss the evaluation of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in pediatric and adult patients with conventional protocols as well as artificial intelligence-driven diagnostic technology. Articles also include the medical practitioners’ perspective to provide the dentist with an understanding of the overall care for a patient with airway disease, as well as co-management of airway disease with other dental clinicians.
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:
- Download the Power Point presentation with the game onto your desktop.
- When playing use Presenter Mode.
- Click the point value under the category to see the question.
- On the page with the question, click anywhere on the screen to reveal the answer
- 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.
2024 NPAW Report
View all member submitted activities from the 2024 National Prosthodontics Awareness Week: NPAW 2024 Activities Report.
2025 PR & NPAW Committee
Dr. Juliet Tchorbajian, Co Chair
Dr. Bhavika Thakkar, Co Chair
Dr. Eugenio Brenes
Dr. Ruhanijot Cheema
Dr. Robert Raimondi
Dr. Stella Stavrou
Dr. Elphida Ayvazian, Division Director