Digital technology can promote safer and more patient-centred dental care, said Dr Sompop Bencharit, President of the Haptic & AI in Dental Education Network (HAIDEN) at the network’s recent hybrid summit held in Helsinki and online.
This starts from dental training where students can demonstrate their clinical skills in simulated environments before moving on to patient work.
“Digital technology, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, mixed reality, and haptic simulation are here, and they are reshaping how we prepare the next generation of oral health professionals,” Bencharit said in his opening wors.
He pointed out that although traditional dental training remains essential, dental students also need digital competence to function in future health care settings. “The question is how to integrate these thoughtfully, ethically, equally, and sustainably.”
The purpose of HAIDEN is to ensure this transformation is based on global academic collaboration and research. Dr Szabocls Felszeghy, Secretary General of HAIDEN, reminded that in less than three years after the first meeting held at the University of Eastern Finland, HAIDEN, first known as Haptic Thinkers, has expanded into a world-wide network.
Bencharit also underlined the importance of collaboration between industry and academia in adopting digital technologies that best serve students, educators, dental professionals and patients alike. Suitably, the Helsinki summit was hosted by the healthcare technology company Planmeca.
Harmonising education for the digital age
Technologies like intraoral scanners, computer-aided design and 3-D printing, as well as AI-assisted diagnostics, are becoming routine in dental clinical practice, said Dr Karen West, President and CEO of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) in her keynote at the HAIDEN Summit.
“If dentistry is changing, dental education must change with it. Harmonising education for the digital age is not simply about adding new equipment or technology modules, but about fundamentally rethinking how we prepare future professionals. It means preparing graduates who can adapt, think critically, and deliver patient-centred care in an increasingly complex healthcare landscape.“
She pointed out that no institution can navigate this transition alone, but institutions must learn from each other, share knowledge and spread best practices globally.
To move toward the digital future in oral health, West offered three recommendations.
“First, develop structured, competency-based frameworks to guide digital integration into curricula. These frameworks should be scalable and globally aligned, so educational standards evolve alongside advancements in care.”
“Secondly, deepen collaboration between academia and industry, so innovation remains clinically relevant, ethical, and educationally sound.”
“Finally, strengthen the evidence base. Long-term outcome data remains limited, and accreditation bodies need evidence that digital training procedures produce competent, practice-ready graduates. Building this research foundation will ensure innovation remains both effective and accountable.”
