It was a great honour to conduct the Pre Conference course in Digital Dentistry / CAD CAM in LINK 18 along with the Dr. Arun Suraj. Thank you Dr. Abarajithan Mohan & the organising team of LINK 18 for giving me the opportunity.

Digital dentistry: The future of dental care

The digital dentistry is the use of advanced technology to carry out the dental procedures using digital or computer oriented controlled components. It replaces the use of electrical and mechanical tools in the field through innovative methods. Today, it is considered the most reliable and efficient method for delivering dentistry solutions.

The following list represents the majority of the areas of digital dentistry. All are assumed to incorporate some type of digital components; not every conceivable area is listed.

• CAD/CAM and intraoral imaging - both laboratory- and clinician-controlled
• Caries diagnosis
• Computer-aided implant dentistry - including design and fabrication of surgical guides
• Digital radiography - intraoral and extraoral, including cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)
• Electric and surgical/implant handpieces
• Lasers
• Occlusion and TMJ analysis and diagnosis
• Photography - extraoral and intraoral
• Practice and patient record management - including digital patient education
• Shade matching

There are many other areas of digital dentistry available, and many more are being researched. It is an exciting time to be in the dental profession as more technologies are being introduced that make dentistry easier, faster, better, and - most important - enjoyable.