Riaz Yar
Prof, BDS, MFDS RCS, MPhil, DPDS, Dip Implant Dent RCSEd, MPros Dent RCSEd, FDS RCSEd, DM Soft Tissues (Bologna), MDTFEd, PGCert DRM, FCGDent
Ulster University, Altrincham, United Kingdom
UNITED KINGDOM
Session 12 · DAY 1 (Nov. 5, 2026) · 17:30–18:00 CET
Anterior Guidance Reconsidered: Designing Occlusal Dynamics for Function, Aesthetics and Longevity
Abstract
Anterior guidance is often described as the steering mechanism of the masticatory system, yet in practice it is frequently inherited rather than designed. Every anterior restoration alters the pathways along which the mandible moves, and with them the loading environment of the entire dentition. When guidance is reproduced without being understood, restorations are asked to tolerate forces they were never planned to receive.
This lecture revisits anterior guidance as a design decision rather than a recording. It examines the relationship between the envelope of function, and the anterior determinants clinicians can actually control, and considers how digital capture of mandibular movement is changing what can be measured chairside. Through cases spanning localised anterior wear, tooth surface loss and full-mouth rehabilitation, it traces how guidance is planned, tested provisionally and transferred predictably to definitive restorations.
Particular attention is given to situations where existing guidance cannot simply be copied in advanced wear, altered vertical dimension and compromised anterior aesthetics and to the reasoning that governs when to conform and when to reorganise. The aim is a framework that is biologically respectful, materially realistic and clinically repeatable.
Learning Objectives
- Interpret anterior guidance in relation to the envelope of function and the posterior determinants of occlusion, identifying which parameters are clinically controllable.
- Apply structured criteria for deciding whether to conform to or reorganise an occlusal scheme in worn and restoratively compromised dentitions.
- Transfer a planned guidance scheme from provisional stages into definitive restorations using contemporary analogue and digital workflows.
Biography
Riaz Yar is a Specialist in Prosthodontics and Visiting Professor of Prosthodontics at the College of Medicine and Dentistry, Ulster University. He is Clinical Director of The Square Advanced Dental Care and Course Director of Square Dental Education, where he teaches restorative and occlusal reconstruction to clinicians internationally. His work centres on occlusal dynamics and the management of tooth surface loss, combining conventional prosthodontic principles with contemporary digital workflows.
He holds fellowships and postgraduate qualifications from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the University of Bologna, and lectures widely on biologically guided, minimally interventive approaches to complex restorative care.