How Digital Dentistry Addresses Global Care Shortfalls

By
Erich Kreidler
July 1, 2026
9 min

Inside Dentistry

5 Topic Commentaries

Rena N. D’Souza, DDS, PhD

Director
•
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), National Institutes of Health

In the past two decades, dentistry has moved into a very digital era. Increasingly, digital technologies are enabling more efficient and precise dental care.

[Source]
Markus B. Blatz, DMD, PhD, Prof Dr med dent

Professor and Chair of Preventive & Restorative Sciences; Assistant Dean for Digital Innovation & Professional Development
•
University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine

With costs coming down and these technologies becoming more accessible, my hope is that ultimately, patients’ access to high-quality oral health care and customized dental restorations that look nice, that are well-fitting, and that have quality materials will be greatly improved. That is the goal.

[Source]
Sean W. McLaren, DDS

Chief Quality, Compliance and Safety Officer, Eastman Institute for Oral Health; Pediatric Dentist
•
University of Rochester Medical Center, Eastman Institute for Oral Health

Having the ability to talk face to face with the patient and the family greatly reduces anxieties they may have about the treatment process, language barriers, and traveling to the Rochester area.

[Source]
Micaela Gibbs, DDS, MHA

Interim Chair, Department of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Science
•
University of Florida College of Dentistry

In its purest form, teledentistry increases access to care. This is for patients who live in rural communities where there is little access to oral health care. It’s for the elderly who are hunkering down at home, abiding by CDC recommendations, and it’s for those patients who may be confined to a wheelchair or have other difficulties leaving the home.

[Source]
William V. Giannobile, DDS, DMSc

Dean and A. Lee Loomis, Jr. Professor of Oral Medicine, Infection and Immunity
•
Harvard School of Dental Medicine

As dentists, we are already collecting biomedical imaging and by integrating patient clinical diagnostic information and applying advanced analytics, we can get a really robust picture of the oral health of a patient population.

[Source]