The JDPBRN annual meeting was held at Gakushi-Kaikan (www.gakushikaikan.co.jp) in Tokyo on 4 December 2011.
A total of 30 dentist practitioner-investigators, clinical researchers, and dental technicians attended. JDPBRN’s director Dr. Naoki Kakudate gave the keynote speech "Wake to a new dawn of dental clinical research-Dental Practice-Based Research Network-".
As a special guest, live via Skype (www.skype.com), DPBRN director Dr. Gregg Gilbert gave a memorial presentation entitled “Overview of The Dental PBRN”. Despite the time difference of 15 hours and a distance of over 10,910 km between Birmingham USA and Tokyo, the connection was very good. Participants were very impressed by his speech.
This Sunday meeting provided a great opportunity for practitioners to discuss“Finding Research Questions from Daily Clinical Practice” and exchange opinions with other JDPBRN members.
Attendees separated into five small groups during the workshop session “What is the Most Relevant Research Question in Japan” for discussions. These discussions will lead to suggestions for future JDPBRN studies, when the results have been evaluated.
Overall, the first annual JDPBRN meeting in Tokyo was a big success and attendees had a great chance to share information with other practitioners from other regions in Japan and to hear Dr. Gregg Gilbert’s presentation from Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
