Call for Abstracts

Abstract Deadline

OCTOBER 1, 2008

If you are interested in submitting an abstract for ALD's 16th Annual Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, please complete and return the online abstract submission form. General sessions will be held April 22-25, 2009.

Requirements for Abstract Submission

Guidelines

Scientific and clinical presentations may cover procedures that do not have U.S. FDA marketing clearance for that device provided this is stated in the abstract. Only laser-related clinical, research, and practice management abstracts will be considered for general session presentations. Preference may be given to abstracts with information that has not been presented at previous conferences.

An individual may submit more than one abstract and may present only one paper (excluding workshop presentations) at the meeting, but may appear as a co-author on other abstracts. The primary author must have the consent of all co-authors listed on the abstract prior to submission.

The project being reported in the abstract must be original research or original clinical case studies.

All abstracts must be received no later than October 1, 2008. Abstracts received after this date will be refused.

Mode of Presentation

The ALD General Session will include presentations in the following modes:

Oral Presentation to the General Session: The daily general and scientific sessions will include individual oral presentations varying from 12 - 20 minutes in the general sessions hall for which an LCD projector will be supplied. A panel discussion will follow each oral presentation module.

Poster Discussion Presentation: This session is a combination oral/poster presentation. A poster discussion session will include up to 8 individual presentations, each on a 4 feet (120 cm) high by 8 feet wide (240 cm) poster board but in a meeting room and not the exhibition hall. Each presenter will have 3 minutes to discuss his/her laser-related clinical, research or practice management presentation followed by 7 minutes of discussion. A group discussion will then take place at the conclusion of the presentations. No audio-visual equipment is used in this session.

2-Hour Participation Hands-On Courses and Lectures: A limited number of 40-90 minute presentation slots are available. The abstract must include sufficient detail to warrant presentation time. Strict consideration will be given to those selected for this module based upon the Details of Abstract Submission Guidelines indicated below.

Presenter Requirements, Responsibilities and Copyright

Due to limited resources, the Academy cannot award honoraria or travel/lodging per diems to presenters. All presenters are required to register for the conference at applicable fees. By submitting the abstract form, you are committing in good faith your willingness and ability to speak during the assigned time over the dates of April 22-29, 2009. All selected speakers will be required to sign copyright release for publication in the Annual ALD Conference Program.

Abstract Submission & Notification

Abstracts are due by October 1, 2008. Only Electronic submission will be considered. Notifications of acceptance and non-acceptance will be sent by November 2008 by EMAIL ONLY. Presentation date and time will be included.

Abstract Submission

Submit your abstract online by visiting our Abstract Submission page by October 1, 2008 and follow the step-by-step instructions.

Details of Submissions

Please be certain your submitted abstracts follow these guidelines:

• Introduction
  State the objective and the current state of knowledge related to it, as well as the reasons for investigating it.
  
  
  1. Explicit written educational objectives identifying the expected learner outcomes must be developed for each activity.
  2. The administrative authority must be ultimately responsible for ensuring that appropriate objectives are developed for each activity. The educational objectives may, however, be prepared by the instructor, course director or administrative authority.
  3. Educational objectives that provide direction in selecting specific course content and choosing appropriate educational methodologies to achieve the expected learner outcomes must be developed for each activity during the earliest planning stages.
  4. The written educational objectives must be published and distributed to the intended audience as a mechanism for potential attendees to select courses on a sound basis. For conventions and major dental meetings that involve multiple course topics and speakers presented during a multi-day period, it is sufficient to publish detailed course descriptions that enable participants to select appropriate course offerings.
  5. Educational objectives must not conflict with or appear to violate the ADA Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct.
  
  RECOMMENDATIONS
  
  
  1. Educational objectives should form the basis for evaluating the effectiveness of the learning activity.
  2. Specific educational objectives may include, but are not limited to, the following categories:
  
  (1) changes in the attitude and approach of the learner to the solution of dental problems; corrections of outdated knowledge; (2) provision of new knowledge in specific areas; (3) introduction to and/or mastery of specific skills and techniques; and (4) alteration in the habits of the learner. Accurate educational objectives succinctly describe the education that will result from attending the course.
  
  
• Materials and Methods
  Present details sufficient for the reader to repeat the investigation, including the measurements and the investigational strategy and design. SPECIFIY MODEL/PRODUCT NAME AND MANUFACTURER FOR ALL DEVICES AND PRODUCTS USED. ABSTRACTS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED WITHOUT PROPER IDENTIFICATION OF DEVICES.
  
  
• Results
  Present the results of any experiments in an order designed to convince the reader of the truth of the paper's conclusions. Reliable observations combined with valid logic result in sound conclusion.
  
  
• Discussion/Conclusion
  State logical arguments that link the data in the results section and the work of other investigators to the conclusions. Reliable observations combined with valid logic result in sound conclusion.
  
  
• Essential Elements of Clinical Case studies
  Abstracts containing clinical case studies must follow the Essential Elements of Clinical Case Studies format. Click here to go to Essential Elements of Clinical Case Studies

Click here to go to Essential Elements of Clinical Case Studies

Audio/Visual Capabilities

Use of an LCD projector is required for all general & scientific session presentations. A 35mm slide projector will not be available during the general and scientific sessions. Speakers will be required to attend a speaker meeting and encourage to load the presentation onto a master computer for ease of use during the sessions.

Special Requests

If you have any special requests-i.e., religious, academic, or personal conflicts-please enter this information in the "Comments to Review Committee" box when entering your abstract online.

Invitation Letters

If an official invitation is necessary for you to obtain a visa to attend the meeting, click the "Required" button under the "Official Letter of Invitation" section of the online registration process. PLEASE NOTE: Invitation letters will not be processed until you have registered and paid for the meeting.

Withdrawal of Papers

Requests to withdraw papers must be made in writing by the presenter (requests from anyone other than the presenter will not be honored) and submitted to the Central Office by November 15, 2008. After the Proceedings Book is printed, the paper may not be withdrawn. However, if, after this date, the presenter finds it impossible to give the paper, the presenter must send written notification with an explanation and the name of a substitute presenter.

Abstracts Selection Criteria

Presentations will be selected for the program on the basis of the scientific quality, clinical excellence of the work, practical relevance in providing solutions to current issues, and suitability for inclusion in the program, as judged from the abstract. An impartial panel of reviewers will evaluate the content of each abstract. Selection of the abstracts will be made by these reviewers and by the Annual Session Committee, whose decision is final.

Each of the essential elements of the ALD 2009 Abstract will be evaluated by the Scientific Sessions Committee on a ranked ordered scale of excellent, good, fair, and poor.

The following are the evaluation criteria used in the review of abstracts. This is provided to call your attention to points that will be considered. In the final analysis, it will be the reviewers’ judgment of the value of any abstract that will determine whether the abstract should appear on the program.

Since the abstracts are published and become part of the world’s scientific literature, it is important that the content be scientifically sound and grammatically correct. Each abstract is reviewed so that high standards can be ensured.

After December 1, 2008, the placement or rejection of your abstract cannot be changed and is considered final.

Speaker notifications will be e-mailed by November 2008, indicating either acceptance (mode, time, date, room assignment) or rejection. You may also check back on the ALD Web site to check the status of your abstract and download a copy of the appropriate acceptance letter (based on your "Abstract Program" number) if applicable.

Guidelines

Guideline Documents	Format
Guidelines for Selected Speakers
ALD Full Disclosure Guidelines
ALD Photography Guidelines
ALD Poster Discussion Guidelines
Essential Elements of Clinical Case Studies Abstract Submission

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