Dear Dr. Frank Thiel, you began working in the CAD/CAM business unit at Dentsply Sirona 15 years ago. At around that same time, the Centre for Advanced Professional Practices (CAPP) organised the first CAD/CAM and Digital Dentistry Conference and Exhibition in Dubai. Would you be so kind as to share your very first experience with CAD/CAM and digital dentistry and your views on its significance today with our readers for the upcoming 14th year of this conference and exhibition?
Digital technologies and CAD/CAM systems in dentistry have undergone a long development. At Dentsply Sirona, we consider ourselves pioneers in this field, as we introduced CEREC to the market more than 30 years ago. Through our own initiative and further development of both the hardware and the software, we were responsible for making intraoral scanners popular in the first place. We have always been convinced that digital impressioning is the way forward.

Now, digital impressions are widely accepted, and competition has become stiffer. So this makes us even prouder that we are able to bring a solution to the market that underscores our pioneering spirit and allows us to provide a solution to an important issue in practices – faster, precise impression taking – which is easy to manage in the usual practice environment, which is reliable, which delivers clinically flawless results, and which is simply fun to use.

And since you asked about the significance of digital technologies in dentistry – for us it is important to improve the day-to-day work in practices and labs. Digital technologies help us do this by enabling predictable treatment outcomes for many indications. Of course, the competence and skill of dentists and dental technicians will always be important – with our solutions, we want to satisfy both the practitioner and the patient and ensure sustainable success.

Dentsply Sirona is starting a new era in digital dentistry with the introduction of the new intraoral scanner Primescan. What makes this product a technological milestone and how will Primescan change how dentists work? Is it correct that Primescan is easier, faster, and more accurate than any other intraoral scanner on the market? Why is that?
Primescan is an intraoral scanner that perfects digital dentistry. We base this on four important points:

(1) A scan made with Primescan is extremely accurate. Up to 1 million 3D data points are captured per second. With optical high-frequency contrast analysis, they can now be calculated more accurately than ever before. A recent study by Prof. Albert Mehl from Zürich confirms that Primescan yields by far the best results with respect to accuracy and precision of 3D measurements. With such a high level of accuracy, you can produce precisely fitting restorations without needing to rework them. 

(2) Scans can be made very quickly with Primescan. Upper and lower jaws can be scanned in less than one minute, including bite. The data is calculated rapidly and displayed on the monitor in high resolution. Practitioner and patient benefit equally from this speed.

(3) Primescan is very easy to handle and can be quickly learned. Users do not need to follow a prescribed scanning protocol, but can scan intuitively and rescan certain areas easily and quickly. The touch interface makes the software easy to use. Artificial intelligence results in a high level of automation of the individual processes. 

(4) There is a very good hygiene solution for Primescan. All surfaces are smooth and easy to clean. Primescan is an intraoral scanner that can be subjected to all necessary hygienic reprocessing (wipe disinfection, autoclaving, hot air sterilisation, high-level disinfection). This is made possible by three sleeve concepts (stainless steel sleeve, stainless steel sleeve with disposable window, disposable sleeves).

For this reason, we think that we have an absolute premium product that really offers more than other intraoral scanners. 

Does the new product have the flexibility and freedom to be used in addition to filling material in various dental treatments? What kind of treatments?
You are asking about what indications Primescan can be used for. Our testers answered, "While we used to ask what indications it could really be used for, today we ask what can it not be used for?" And in fact, the range of indications makes Primescan a special intraoral scanner. Examples include conventional restorations, such as crowns and bridges, inlays and onlays, and there is also the option of supporting implant planning with an intraoral scan and the corresponding restoration proposal – you can plan the outcome.

Primescan scans to a depth of up to 20 millimeters. Is Primescan more than just an intraoral scanner and if so, why?
In the past, dentists were justified in questioning the scanning quality when the patient has quite long crowns or the dentition has exposed root areas. These difficult-to-reach places can easily be captured with Primescan, without the user having to make too much effort with the scanner. This is a real advantage. 

Does Primescan fulfill the dream of a precise full arch scan?
The study at the University of Zürich I mentioned before showed that Primescan also had the best results with respect to the accuracy of full arch scans. The scan requires no more effort than with partial arch scans.

All processes that use Primescan are validated. Why is that so special?
The entire system has been extended by validated interfaces to external partners. Validation makes the system so special – users are assured that the transmission will be implemented completely and securely. The respective portals can also be reached with just a few clicks.

This is special because most dentists do not want to have to deal intensively with interfaces or with data transmission technology in general. They want it to work quickly, reliably, and at any time. Predictable, reproducible. This is exactly what we offer with our internal interfaces (seamless) and the validated processes with our partners. In addition, there is still the option of an open STL export.

Are you convinced that Primescan is the starting point for the other digital processes in dentistry? Why?
We just touched on this briefly before – the range of indications for 3D intraoral scanners is now wider than ever before. We still see a lot of potential especially in orthodontics and implantology. 

The question of conventional versus digital impressions has been discussed for more than 30 years. Where are we today?
We already know that digital impressions are at least as good as conventional ones and also deliver very good clinical results. This has been substantiated in studies. It has never been easier for dentists to choose digital impressions. Therefore, our aim is to develop digital impressions into the preferred process because they have many advantages for everyone involved – for dentists, their partners, and the patients. Discussions with our customers have revealed that, besides the many technical advantages of scanning, it is also a whole lot of fun.

What feedback on Primescan have you had from customers regarding user friendliness and hygienic safety?
The initial feedback from users has made us very optimistic. We have received a lot of compliments for the usability and convenience, which is also experienced by the patients. We have also heard that the hygienic safety of Primescan is perceived very positively.

What might your customers expect from you in the near future regarding the development in the area of digital dentistry?
For digital processes, many things are certainly possible. I addressed monitoring previously. With Primescan, there is no effort required for progress monitoring, for example, to see whether and how the teeth have moved since the last check and how the gums have changed. All of this can be documented easily and reliably.

The second point is artificial intelligence. The intraoral scan yields a lot of useful data from which to develop solutions, for instance to specifically optimise treatment workflows. We already use learning algorithms in our programs today, and this will be increased even more in the future of digital dentistry. In any event, Primescan is a fundamental step in this direction.

Thank you very much for the interview.