Summary:

Where: San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront
1800 Old Bayshore Hwy
Burlingame, CA 94010

Speaker: Dr. John Chao

Tuition: 
AGD Member: $450.00
Non-AGD Member: $900.00

AGD Subject Code: 490 (periodontics)

Course Description: 

This participation course introduces the Pinhole Surgical Technique® (PST®), a minimally invasive alternative to traditional grafting for treating gingival recession. PST® uses specialized instruments to reposition existing gingival tissue through small entry points without scalpels, sutures, or a secondary donor site.

The course will examine the etiology and clinical impact of gingival recession, the biological principles of PST®, case selection, and the fundamental procedural sequence. Participants will review published evidence, including a 14.5-year retrospective case series reporting 86.6% mean root coverage, a randomized split-mouth clinical trial, and a 35-month clinical study combining PST® with Surgical Crown Shortening for Class III recession defects.

An instructor-guided typodont exercise will allow participants to practice fundamental PST® concepts using specialized instruments. Training will include proper instrument handling, entry-point positioning, tissue release, coronal tissue movement, and procedural sequencing on a simulation model.

Course Objectives:

• Describe the biological principles and fundamental procedural steps of PST® for managing gingival recession.
• Evaluate findings from long-term and comparative studies to assess the clinical outcomes and predictability of PST®.
• Identify appropriate clinical indications for PST®, including advanced cases that may require referral or combination therapy.
• Demonstrate proper handling of specialized PST® instruments and simulate fundamental tissue-release and coronal tissue-movement techniques on a typodont model.

About the Speaker: 

Dr. John Chao is the inventor of the Pinhole® Surgical Technique for treatment of gum recession. His involvement with the Post-Graduate Periodontics Program at the University of Buffalo, SUNY, speaks to the depth of his knowledge and experience in the scientific investigation of gum disease.

Refund and Cancellation:

• Registrations are subject to a $75 non-refundable processing fee.
• Cancellations made by email prior to 1/8/27 will receive a refund less the $75 processing fee.
• Cancellations made after 1/8/27 are completely non-refundable.
• Transfer of a registration to another name will be considered by email request through 1/8/27.

Registration: