Back to DPA Annual Conference 2026 - Shifting Perception
Session
Beyond the Printer: Shifting Perceptions in Digital Dentistry
Fri, 23 Oct 2026 at 11:30
- 12:00
About this session
Beyond the Printer: Shifting Perceptions in Digital Dentistry
Scan it. Design it. Print it. But THINK it.
#Lecture Synopsis
Digital dentistry is often perceived as being about expensive equipment, complicated software, and sophisticated 3D printers. But the true digital transformation of dentistry goes far beyond simply owning the technology. “Beyond the Printer: Shifting Perceptions in Digital Dentistry” explores how intraoral scanning, digital design, artificial intelligence, and 3D printing are changing everyday clinical dentistry. The lecture will take delegates through the journey from scan to design to manufacture, demonstrating how an integrated digital workflow can improve efficiency, predictability, communication and the range of treatments that can be delivered within the dental practice. Particular emphasis will be placed on 3D printing and how clinicians can get more from their printers, moving beyond the routine production of study models to applications such as diagnostic models, custom trays, splints, provisionals, surgical guides, denture try-ins and digitally manufactured dentures. However, becoming digital is not simply about replacing analogue processes with machines. Technology can scan, calculate, design and manufacture with remarkable precision, but it does not replace clinical judgement, treatment planning, creativity, experience and the human relationship between dentist and patient.
The presentation therefore challenges another important perception: that digital technology reduces the role of the clinician. Instead, it proposes that the modern dentist must become an even more informed digital clinician, understanding both the capabilities and limitations of the technology. Through practical clinical examples and real-world workflows, delegates will be encouraged to reconsider digital dentistry not as something belonging to the future, but as an increasingly accessible part of dentistry today.
#Learning Objectives
By the end of the presentation, delegates should be able to:
1. Understand the complete digital workflow from intraoral scanning through CAD/design to 3D printing and clinical delivery. 2. Recognise applications of 3D printing beyond dental models and identify opportunities to expand its use in everyday practice.
3. Identify where digital technology can improve efficiency and predictability, as well as where conventional clinical principles remain essential.
4. Understand the continuing importance of the clinician in diagnosis, treatment planning, design decisions, aesthetics and final treatment delivery.
5. Shift their perception of digital dentistry from simply purchasing technology to developing an integrated digital mindset and workflow. Core message Digital dentistry is not about replacing the dentist with technology. It is about using technology to extend what the dentist can achieve.
Scan it. Design it. Print it. But THINK it.
#Lecture Synopsis
Digital dentistry is often perceived as being about expensive equipment, complicated software, and sophisticated 3D printers. But the true digital transformation of dentistry goes far beyond simply owning the technology. “Beyond the Printer: Shifting Perceptions in Digital Dentistry” explores how intraoral scanning, digital design, artificial intelligence, and 3D printing are changing everyday clinical dentistry. The lecture will take delegates through the journey from scan to design to manufacture, demonstrating how an integrated digital workflow can improve efficiency, predictability, communication and the range of treatments that can be delivered within the dental practice. Particular emphasis will be placed on 3D printing and how clinicians can get more from their printers, moving beyond the routine production of study models to applications such as diagnostic models, custom trays, splints, provisionals, surgical guides, denture try-ins and digitally manufactured dentures. However, becoming digital is not simply about replacing analogue processes with machines. Technology can scan, calculate, design and manufacture with remarkable precision, but it does not replace clinical judgement, treatment planning, creativity, experience and the human relationship between dentist and patient.
The presentation therefore challenges another important perception: that digital technology reduces the role of the clinician. Instead, it proposes that the modern dentist must become an even more informed digital clinician, understanding both the capabilities and limitations of the technology. Through practical clinical examples and real-world workflows, delegates will be encouraged to reconsider digital dentistry not as something belonging to the future, but as an increasingly accessible part of dentistry today.
#Learning Objectives
By the end of the presentation, delegates should be able to:
1. Understand the complete digital workflow from intraoral scanning through CAD/design to 3D printing and clinical delivery. 2. Recognise applications of 3D printing beyond dental models and identify opportunities to expand its use in everyday practice.
3. Identify where digital technology can improve efficiency and predictability, as well as where conventional clinical principles remain essential.
4. Understand the continuing importance of the clinician in diagnosis, treatment planning, design decisions, aesthetics and final treatment delivery.
5. Shift their perception of digital dentistry from simply purchasing technology to developing an integrated digital mindset and workflow. Core message Digital dentistry is not about replacing the dentist with technology. It is about using technology to extend what the dentist can achieve.
