Second Digital Dentistry and Artificial Intelligence Symposium

"The New Age of Dentistry: Far Beyond Traditional Practice"

Sponsored by the Department of Comprehensive Care

Earn 13 hours of CE credit!

Attend in person or via Zoom Webinar

Friday and Saturday, September 18-19, 2026

Sheila and Eric Samson Pavilion

9501 Euclid Ave.

Cleveland, OH 44106

Opening remarks from Interim Dean Dale A. Baur, DDS on Friday, 9/18, at 8:50am

Ilser Turkyilmaz, DDS, PhD

Dr. Ilser Turkyilmaz earned his dental degree from Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey, in 1998, followed by a PhD in Prosthodontics from the same institution in 2004. He then pursued an implant prosthodontic fellowship at The Ohio State University from 2007 to 2008. From 2008 to 2014, he served as Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, where he also directed the Dental School Implant Clinic from 2011 to 2014.

Dr. Turkyilmaz is internationally recognized for his expertise in dental implants, digital dentistry, and artificial intelligence. He has authored 142 peer-reviewed scientific articles, four book chapters, and edited three books focused on implant dentistry. He is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences and serves as Associate Editor or Editor for several respected dental journals.

In 2016, Dr. Turkyilmaz earned his DMD from Boston University’s Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine through the Advanced Standing Program. That same year, he joined the faculty at New York University College of Dentistry as a Clinical Associate Professor and was promoted to Clinical Professor in 2020. He was also named the Prosthodontics-DDS Digital Dentistry Coordinator, where he led faculty development, laboratory collaboration, and curricular integration of digital technologies.

Dr. Turkyilmaz has held leadership roles in professional organizations, including serving as President of the IADR Digital Dentistry Research Network and as a member of the AADOCR Constitution Committee. Licensed in New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, he also practices part-time in Manhattan. On September 16, 2024, he was appointed as a tenured full professor, Associate Dean for Digital Innovation, and Chair of the Department of Comprehensive Care at Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine.        

Gian Pietro Schincaglia, DDS, PhD

Dr. Gian Pietro Schincaglia is a board-certified periodontist, clinician-scientist, and academic leader currently serving as Full Professor, Chair, and Graduate Program Director of the Department of Periodontics at Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine. He earned his DDS and PhD from the University of Ferrara and completed his specialty training in Periodontology at the University of Southern California. A Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology since 2003, Dr. Schincaglia has held prior academic leadership roles at the University of Connecticut, University of Ferrara, and West Virginia University.

Internationally recognized for his contributions to periodontology and implant dentistry, Dr. Schincaglia  has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and conference presentations. His research spans periodontal regeneration, immediate implant loading, digital workflows, and bone biology. A sought-after speaker, he has delivered invited lectures across North America, Europe, and the Middle East.

Dr. Schincaglia has served in multiple leadership roles within the American Academy of Periodontology and the American Board of Periodontology and is a Fellow of the International Team for Implantology (ITI) and the American College of Dentists. In 2022, he was honored with the AAP’s Presidential Award for Outstanding Periodontal Educator.

Cristian Opazo

Cristian Opazo is the Director of Educational Technology at the College of Dentistry at New York University, a position he has held during the last decade. He and his team lead the College's long-term strategy of technology-enhanced dental education and curricular innovation in preclinical and clinical programs. His areas of expertise are innovation in health education, design and implementation of Virtual Reality simulation environments and Artificial Intelligence platforms, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. He is the founding director of the Virtual Reality Simulation Lab at NYU Dentistry, a unique facility among dental schools in North America, where more than 2,000 dental students have received hands-on preclinical training. As a leader and practitioner of the scholarship of teaching and learning, he partners with clinicians and dental practitioners to contribute in the field of educational research. His work has been published in the Journal of Dental Education, the European Journal of Dental Education, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Public Library of Science, and Complex Systems. He has Ph.D. (ABD) and Master of Science degrees in experimental physics from Michigan State University and a Bachelors in Science degree in physics from Universidad de Chile, where he was born and raised.

Ali Murat Kokat, DDS, PhD

After graduating from Hacettepe University Faculty of Dentistry in 1998, Prof. Dr. Ali Murat Kökat completed his PhD in Prosthetic Dentistry in 2004. He worked as lecturer at Yeditepe University and he continued his career at Rheinische Friedrich Wilhelms University, as ITI Scholar for Oral, Dental and Maxillofacial Diseases and Surgery during 2008 and 2009. He received the title of associate professor in 2012, and in 2018, he was appointed as university professor in the Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Okan University.

Currently he is the coordinator of PhD program for Prosthetic Dentistry at Istanbul Aydın University and continues to work at his private practice.

He focuses on digital dentistry, porcelain laminate veneers and implantology and has published many articles in international peer-reviewed journals and lectures on these topics regularly. He has translated 8 books to Turkish and has written chapters for 2 books on implant dentistry. Dr. Kökat is an ITI Fellow since 2011 and worked as Communications Officer, Education Delegate and Chair in ITI Türkiye Section Leadership Team and he is a member of ITI Board of Mentors.

Rami Salloum, DDS

Dr. Rami Salloum is a board-certified implant dentist and founder of Bright Dental Practice & Implant Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology and a Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. In June 2025, he completed a two-year master’s degree in Soft Tissue Management Around Teeth and Implants from the University of Bologna, Italy, further enhancing his expertise in esthetic outcomes for both periodontal and implant therapy.

Dr. Salloum is internationally recognized for advancing digital workflows in full-arch rehabilitation. He developed the Rapid Digital Conversion (RDC) protocol, which enables next-day delivery of full-arch provisionals through a combination of hybrid intraoral–extraoral scanning, trayless impressions, and efficient chairside verification techniques.

He is also the inventor of the Face Scan Mate device and the founder of True Smile Design, a facially driven approach to prosthetic planning and post-operative esthetic refinement. His work has been featured in several peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry and the Journal of Oral Implantology, with published topics ranging from nasal capture integration to virtual articulation strategies.

Dr. Salloum lectures nationally and internationally at major dental conferences, including the Academy of Osseointegration, the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, and Dental XP. His mission is to simplify digital dentistry workflows and empower clinicians to deliver precise, efficient, and esthetically driven outcomes.

Paul Zhivago, DDS, FACP

Dr. Paul Zhivago currently serves as the Course Director of Digital Dentistry in the Postgraduate Prosthodontics Department at NYU College of Dentistry, where he leads education and research initiatives in emerging dental technologies. He has also served as Chair of the Corporate Liaison Committee for the Greater New York Academy of Prosthodontics and holds the position of Director-at-Large for the New York Section of the American College of Prosthodontists — demonstrating his dedication to advancing the field of prosthodontics. Dr. Zhivago is the owner of DOWNTOWNDENTAL in Westfield, NJ, a practice focused on delivering cutting-edge care in digital, implant, and aesthetic dentistry. Beyond his clinical work, he is an internationally recognized lecturer and educator, presenting on topics related to digital workflows, implant dentistry, and esthetic treatment. He also serves as a consultant to several global dental technology companies, contributing to the development and implementation of innovative solutions in digital dentistry.

Scott Pelok, DDS, MS, FAGD

Dr. Scott Pelok graduated from the Ohio State University School of Dentistry in 1994. He completed a one-year residency in Advanced Education for General Dentistry at the University of Michigan in 1995. He received his Fellowship from the Academy of General Dentistry in 2010. He also has a master’s degree in biology with emphasis in anatomy from Bowling Green State University.

He has practiced conscious sedation for extractions and implants for over 25 years. He has been using CAD/CAM technology for crown and implant design for 30 years.

In 2000, Dr Pelok developed inactive video learning to teach head & neck anatomy to dental students. He was awarded a Smithsonian ComputerWorld award for innovative educational design. He has been using Active Learning methodology for education ever since.

In 2022, Dr Pelok joined Case Western Reserve School of Dental Medicine as an Associate Professor where he teaches Clinical Pharmacology, CAD/CAM Dentistry, and Implant Dentistry. His current interests are in the utilization of virtual reality and artificial intelligence in dental education.

Dentists/Practitioners - $400

CWRU Faculty - $275

Hygienists/Dental Assistants/Dental Laboratory Technicians - $250

Post-graduate Residents and Students - $100

Breakfast and lunch are included.

Recommended parking is in the Cleveland Clinic P1 parking garage, entrance on 93rd St. across from Samson Pavilion.

Zoom webinar link will be emailed to virtual attendees 2 hours before the symposium begins.