Innovations sometimes come from unexpected places, is there a particular innovation that sticks out for how it developed?
A.L.: Improvement in the aesthetics and performance of direct restorative was achieved by utilizing filler technology originally developed for reflective road paint and abrasive coatings respectively. I think Joachim has an example where an age-progression software technology was utilized for dental design.
J.P.: That’s right. The CAD software that is able to propose the occlusal shape of a crown to fit with the rest of the dentition was a fairly difficult problem and the solution came from a software technology that was traditionally used in age-progression enabling the manipulation and evolution of facial images such as artificial aging.
What are the greatest challenges that you see in dentistry moving forward?
J.P.: There is the constant challenge for dentistry to reduce costs while maintaining or improving the level of care. Special challenge and chance is to serve the aging population and to provide economic as well as highly sophisticated solutions.
A.L.: A significant challenge in dentistry is to provide innovative, less-invasive and more effective treatments in a reasonable development time. Demonstrating improved clinical efficacy typically requires extended clinical studies or trials. Another challenge is to improve access to care by providing effective yet simpler and less expensive treatment options.
How do you see the dental technology landscape evolving in the short to medium term?
J.P.: Digitization is broadly changing the dental industry and that trend will certainly continue. It’s already having a big impact in Imaging, CAD/CAM, Ortho, and of course practice management. And digital innovation may also push material innovation, as happened for example with Zirconia where it allows enlarging e.g. a crown in exactly that way that it shrinks back to the desired size when sintered.
A.L.: Improvements in materials of all types - polymers, ceramics and metals -together with associated processing techniques can be expected which will lead to more durable and aesthetic treatments. This includes broader application of 3D printing with specially designed materials for this application. This will allow for direct printing of advanced dental appliances. Refinements in biomaterials will also emerge which will support tissue augmentation and even regeneration. Augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) are also emerging technologies which could find application in treatment, clinical education and customer service to answer questions or even assess problems.