I have just returned from the AEEDC meeting in Dubai, the world’s largest dental conference and exhibition. It was big! The RCSEd Dental Faculty exhibition stand was incredibly busy and a great opportunity for the team to meet Members and Fellows as well as showcase the Faculty and wider College to many people who were interested in joining the College. At both the exhibition and the conference, digital dentistry was everywhere, so I thought this would make a good topic for a blog.
Dentistry continues to evolve and with the introduction of imaging computer technology in the 1970s, the scene was set for continuing digital development in all aspects of dentistry. The most disruptive events occurred when digital workflow and computer-aided manufacturing were introduced, resulting in new procedures and new materials being available for routine dental care.
Digital dentistry however is much wider and encompasses all aspects of the dental industry from patient booking and scheduling, imaging and diagnosis, assisting with treatment, through to running an efficient business. Even the humble toothbrush has not escaped with the majority of powered toothbrushes incorporating varying degrees of digital technology.
At its most basic, digital dentistry is the technology available to either advance or replace traditional dental procedures, but it is the precision, accuracy and efficiency of digital technology that cannot only help automate the daily activities of dentistry, but also improve outcomes and at the same time patient and staff experience.
Imaging leads away in digital dentistry with digital radiography having developed at a fast pace over the last 50 years. Three-dimensional imaging with both ionising and non-ionising radiation continue to revolutionise diagnosis and treatment planning, supplemented by intra-oral scanning, which will render the plaster dental model a historical item. The ability to image, store, share, analyse and automate imaging workflows has been a substantial step forwards. Fast on the footsteps is computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing or CAD/CAM. This has been incorporated in the vast number of dental procedures from intra-coronal to extra-coronal restorations through to bridges, veneers, implant placement and subsequent restorations, orthodontics, orthognathic surgery as well as many other areas of dentistry, with others in the pipeline. Coupled with this is 3D printing for fixed and removable prostheses, orthodontic aligners, surgical guides and both porcelain and metal restorations. Although fascinating to watch a 3D printer at work, it is the precision fit of 3D printer devices and dentistry that marks this technology out for the future along with reduction in time and cost. However, there is still a place for the dental technologist in relation to a number of aspects of working with 3D printed dental devices and the human skill in relation to finishing, maintenance and repair has yet to be replicated by the machines.
Imaging has another part to play in the future of dentistry with digital smile design and the prediction and visualisation of the cosmetic aspects of dental care where digital ‘mock-ups’ can demonstrate to patients the treatment that is available and ensure the results and expectations meet each other at the outset of any treatment. Teledentistry has a bright future ahead and with the ability to connect with patients remotely, consultations, follow-ups, digital diagnostic services along with remote supervision of those and training and all other aspects of home delivered care, remote and hard to reach populations may finally be offered similar levels of care to urban areas.
What about the future of digital dentistry? Developments continue in the same way as in all other healthcare industries with advancements being announced marketed on a regular basis. Artificial intelligence is all around us and whilst I have written before about the limitations of many of the current AI systems, there are lots of developments from automated radiographic diagnosis, through to the prediction of disease patterns and prediction of clinical outcomes just around the corner. Machine learning is perhaps the silent partner, and with the use of clinical algorithms, the analysis of substantial clinical and research data sets has the ability to identify procedures that are more easily automated than others which require the more artistic side of dentistry.
Robotics is now a key part of surgical practice, and whilst robotics in dentistry has been limited to the laboratory and for a few demonstration cases on humans, the scope for robotic dental practice to come to the fore. Augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) are exciting and immersive technologies that could easily be applied for training and education, as well as in planning advanced technical procedures. Finally digital laboratory testing of new biomaterials is ongoing and has the ability to speed up research and development in the testing of the durability, athletics and biocompatibility of a number of areas and materials used within dentistry.
The dental field has been continually transformed by the introduction of new and advanced digital technology and the technological gold-rush does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon. With further advances, it would appear that innovations are limitless. The future of dentistry is very much digital, and I for one am glad to have been part, and am keen to continue to be part of the ongoing digital journey in dentistry.
You views matter and I would be delighted to hear from you, please email me your thoughts and suggestions at dental@rcsed.ac.uk.