Interview with Dr. Alba Sanchez

On October 1, Dr. Alba Sanchez of AHOA, specialist in Oral Surgery and Buccofacial Implantology, defended her doctoral thesis on the results of immediate loading treatment in complete arches during a telematic presentation in front of a tribunal of the University of Barcelona. An excellent and detailed research work about which he offers us more details in this interview.

Congratulations Alba, what has the thesis research meant to you?

Thank you very much!

My personal experience has been very rewarding, since the process has allowed me to build knowledge from clinical practice to statistics applied to Health Sciences. The truth is that I have enjoyed it very much, because I have been able to accompany patients in the clinic as we got to know the results of the research included in this thesis.

What are your most relevant conclusions?

Mainly, we have observed that the type of immediate loading protocol we use in patients who have to replace an entire arch with implants has favorable long-term results. It appears that the mechanical complications that may occur over time do not significantly affect the quality of life of the patients. Fractures of the ceramic or loosening of a screw holding the prosthesis are some examples of complications. This can be explained by the fact that most of them can be solved in a simple way for the patient. Also, those who have received this treatment have a provisional prosthesis, that is, they always have a replacement tooth even if they have to send their definitive prosthesis to the laboratory for a few days.

On the other hand, the fact of subjecting the implants to a mechanical load from the moment of their placement means that the gums and the bone acquire their definitive shape more quickly. The results of this protocol in terms of maintenance of the bone around the implants are good. In fact, we have proposed bone assessment intervals different from those in the current guidelines published in 2017, as they would be more realistic for immediate loading treatment.

In terms of time and effort, what has this PhD involved?

A doctoral thesis always involves time and effort. There are different moments in the research; some require more time than others. I would emphasize that, being a personal project, time takes a back seat as you work with a goal in mind.

What has been your motivation for wanting to do this research work?

I could say that I have had different motivations that led me to do this work. First of all, because of my academic vocation I like to do research per se. In this sense, I have had the full support of the University of Barcelona and my thesis directors. At the same time, the work is part of the line of research initiated by Dr. Cercadillo on the results of immediate loading treatment in complete arches. All this began in early 2014 and since then we have been immersed in turning our clinical experience into scientific studies to make our results known at an international level.

How was it for you to defend the thesis in front of the tribunal?

Due to pandemic restrictions, my thesis defense had to be telematic. The truth is that I have always liked public speaking and I thought that it might be a cold meeting, since it was not face-to-face. However, it turned out to be very fun and enriching, the question and answer session lasted 1 hour and it flew by! I was very grateful for the high involvement of the tribunal members and also for the support of my thesis supervisors, colleagues, students, family and friends.

What does your thesis add to your work at AHOA?

First of all, I must say that it is an honor for me to have been able to carry out this research at the clinic. This has been thanks to Dr. Cercadillo since he has always allowed me to work autonomously and has trusted my criteria, without setting limits. From my point of view, this doctoral thesis endorses the protocols we use daily with our patients and also endorses us professionals who are behind it as people committed to our continuing education throughout life. One of my mottos in my practice and at the university is that “this is what we must do today because it is what we know; but we must continue working to explore what we will have to do tomorrow”.