Digital dentistry: a congress in Bruxelles
It’s already history but still it’s better to take few suggestions with us. After all it is at the end of the year that we usually sum it up, expecially on digital dentistry, a trend more and more important in EU.
On December 5, 2016 in Brussels, digital dentistry was the star of a conference entitled “The 3D printing revolution and the dental sector: opportunities, challenge and future application” and sponsored by the Italian Association of Dentists (AIO) on invitation of the European Parliament.
“The 3D industry at European level is expected to move towards a total income of 6 billion euro. At the research level, the European Union has sponsored 3D projects for a total of 160 million of new materials, nanotechnology (additive manufacturing) and e-health applications that embrace doctors and dentists. As part of the Horizon 2020 program other 113 million will fund 27 new projects in 3 years.” These are the words of Jose Lorenzo Valles, the head of advanced research and biotechnology of the Directorate General Responsible for Science, Research and Development. That shows an extreme attention of the European Community to digital technologies in medical and dental.
Indeed, the development of digital dentistry has become increasingly more important and efficient from every point of view and made now required a series of moves by the operators of this sector:
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Training courses for dentists and dental technicians to guide and facilitate the entry of digital technologies in the laboratories
- Research, especially on usable materials
- Laws (certifications and procedures)
Pierluigi Delogu, President of AIO, has intervened exactly in this way: “The 3D printers allow us to not only produce elements and dental models but also body parts and bone portions to be engaged when the bone is no longer present, and for this many patients lose their teeth. Newer machines have a definition of 16 microns, and it seems that for materials usage costs are reduced by two-thirds/three-quarters compared to previous technologies. But the work of these precious helpers, must be guided by precision and accuracy. The advantage of these technologies is not only economic benefit and quicker processing but also in the pre-clinical setting. The condition for use for me is threefold: training of dentists, continuous research, clear rules. ”
In this scenario, digital dentistry becomes the key to a reduction of costs both at operator level, dentist or dental technician, and at the patient level allowing triple savings: on materials with zero waste using additive technologies, in waste disposal and in the agility and quickness of the processing phase.
The future is already here. Remember it even this year.
Sources: odontoiatria33.it, AIO and efddgroup.eu
You can find the entire congress here.