The American Dental Association’s ADA 2026 Scientific Session will bring together leading experts to address the evolving clinical challenges dentists face in everyday practice.
Event to take place in Indianapolis on Oct. 8-10
The Scientific Session will be held Oct. 8-10 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. The event will unite clinicians, researchers and specialists from across the dental field to deliver practical insights grounded in scientific research and real-world clinical experience.
The continuing education program will feature content inspired by clinical guidelines, oral-systemic health research and studies published in The Journal of the American Dental Association.
Artificial intelligence and oral-systemic health to take center stage
Topics throughout the program will include antibiotic stewardship, oral cancer detection, cone-beam computed tomography patient selection, systemic diseases, pain management, regenerative engineering, rare diseases and photobiomodulation.
Hands-on workshops will focus on biopsies, digital workflows, and complex endodontic and oral surgery cases, while panel discussions will explore artificial intelligence, pharmacology and the oral microbiome.
One of the featured panels, focused on the expanding role of artificial intelligence in dentistry, will examine how emerging AI technologies are influencing clinical decision-making and patient care.
Experts to examine the oral-systemic connection
Another major session, “The Oral Systemic Interface: Inflammation Without Borders,” will explore the relationship between periodontal inflammation and conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders and liver disease through real clinical cases.
ADA President-elect Thomas Paumier said the event will prioritize practical application over theory, helping dentists translate research and clinical guidance into everyday patient care.
Jennifer Thompson, chair of the ADA Council on Dental Practice, noted that the Scientific Session will also encourage collaboration and professional development by connecting dental professionals from different specialties.
Registration for the ADA 2026 Scientific Session will open on May 27.
