Prof. Kasaj, it’s a pleasure to meet you in Mainz. Since when you are based here?

I’ve been working at the University Medical Center of Mainz since 2002, which is part of the Rhein-Main area located in the heart of Germany and Europe. Before I was working also in this region, in two different dental practices for a period of around one year.

Does your family come from this area too?

Both my father and my mother come originally from Croatia and moved to the Rhein-Main area a few years before I was born. So, I grew up in this area and lived here most of my life. I come from a rather small family and have a small family today.

What was the little boy Adrian Kasaj wanted to become when he grows up?

As a boy, I wanted to become a diplomat. I loved the idea of living in different embassies around the world. Then, as I matured, I decided to change that plan a little bit and to follow in my father’s footsteps and become a dentist.

Do you remember the first challenges as a student?

Yes, definitely. It was the attempt to sculpture different teeth in plaster. It took me a few tries until I succeeded in terms of shape and proportions. I can also remember how nervous I was when I treated my first patient in the clinic. It was only a small dental filling, but it took me some time to do it. After that I felt like I conquered the whole world.

“My advice to the young specialist is to choose mentors wisely and to cultivate networks.” A. Kasaj

And this feeling determined you to pursue an academic career?

It actually started by accident. I was already working in a private dental practice when I decided to write a doctoral thesis. For this purpose, I went back to the University and started a research project, which was exciting and inspiring. Shortly after that, I got the chance to specialize in periodontology and to perform research in this field, which fascinated me from the beginning. The possibility to combine clinical work with research and teaching was at the end the reason why I decided to stay at the University and follow an academic career path.

Which are the projects that make you smile, looking back?

When I start thinking about my projects, I can say that especially some of the early ones make me smile today. The ones that I’m proud of are where we investigated the properties of different biomaterials in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, I enjoyed our research on collagen matrices as a substitute for autogenous grafts in periodontal plastic surgery. But above all, my personal favorite was the writing and editing of our textbook “Gingival Recession Management – A Clinical Manual”, which was published in 2018.

You are using Emdogain® in various indications, what is your experience with our 25 years experienced product?

I started to use Emdogain® already during my postgraduate education. During that time, I used the product solely or combined with bone graft materials for the treatment of different types of intrabony and furcation defects. Moreover, I applied Emdogain® as an adjunct to a coronally advanced flap in gingival recession treatment. Later, I started to combine the material with collagen matrices in recession coverage procedures. More recently, I also use Emdogain® as part of flapless periodontal procedures. Overall, I can say that Emdogain® enables me to obtain excellent results in my patients and therefore this unique biomaterial plays an important role in my armamentarium as a periodontist.

On what attributes do you think Emdogain’s success is based?

Today, there is a huge amount of preclinical and clinical evidence that Emdogain® promotes periodontal regeneration and early wound healing. Apart from its effectiveness, the main advantages of Emdogain® compared to other regenerative approaches are that the material is easy-to-use due to its gel formulation and that it is associated with less postoperative complications. In my opinion, these are the main reasons why this biomaterial has become so successful in periodontal applications.  

“Emdogain® enables me to obtain excellent results in my patients and therefore this unique biomaterial plays an important role in my armamentarium as a periodontist.” A. Kasaj

Why should even the experienced specialists keep challenging themselves?

If you want to improve your creative skills and be productive you have to challenge yourself. Therefore, one should find some time to conduct a brainstorm and concentrate on creative projects.

Is this why you tackled the flapless approach of Emdogain®?

In general, I’m always curious about new treatment approaches and techniques in our field and that’s also the reason why I engaged more deeply in the concept of Emdogain® flapless.

What do you think a young clinician should know when her/his career starts?

I think that one of the most important factors for career success is the right mentor. So, my advice to the young specialist is to choose mentors wisely and to cultivate networks. Another very important aspect is to develop and expand clinical skills by learning from different experienced clinical teachers. Try to look over the shoulder of different clinicians working in their routine practice.

And what was the advice that you appreciated when you were at the beginning?

The best advice I received in my early days at the university was “Don’t let yourself be influenced by other people. Always stay focused and have the goal in your mind”. This helped me a lot, especially when things were not running as smoothly as they should.

Straumann® Emdogain® is a unique gel containing enamel matrix derivative of porcine origin. The main component is amelogenin, which has demonstrated the ability to stimulate certain cells types involved in the healing process of soft and hard tissues towards a regenerative pattern, thus leading to true periodontal regeneration¹ and accelerated oral wound healing². Emdogain® has a respected legacy as an irreplaceable tool for periodontology backed by extensive and long-term clinical documentation including studies with 10 years follow-up^3,4. Over the past 25 years it has been used in over 2.5 million patients⁵ and it is documented in over 1,000 scientific publications, including over 600 clinical papers⁶. For more information: click here.