2025 Buzzword Alert: “Digital Dentistry”
If “Digital Dentistry” wasn’t a 2024 buzzword, it will certainly be a 2025 one. Other than serving as alliteration, “Digital Dentistry” encompasses the technological advances being made within the industry. What might digitalisation look like for an industry focusing on oral care?
Improvements are forecasted in a range of areas that could affect your entire team. The result of “Digital Dentistry” should help you streamline your patient care and experience. From implementing more accurate diagnostic tools with the help of AI (Artificial Intelligence) to the use of intraoral scanners for precise magnification inside your patients mouths or even fluorescence scanning for the detection of cancer. Further computer based machinery we might be seeing within the treatment room could include:
- Digital Radiography
- Digitally Guided Implant Surgery
- CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) for crowns or bridges
- 3D Printers for dental prosthetics
Progression is evident, but despite the improvements, digital competence and readiness should be considered so that your practice can maximise these tools. This where Lloyd & Whyte can provide advice. We can help you identify new risks that will be arising with these changes and prepare your practice for them.
When it comes to your insurance, these are things that you should be checking with your advisor at renewal, especially if you are concerned about growing risks involved with dentistry digitalisation.
Liability Coverage:
Whilst these advances might reduce the need for manual activity, this does not eradicate all risks of facing a liability claim. Human error is still likely to happen if misinterpretation of data occurs and malfunction could compromise patient outcomes.
Business Interruption Insurance:
With any new integrated system or machinery, it would be beneficial to prepare for an adjustment period. This could present itself as system down-times or malfunctions which result in income loss and business interruption.
Contents Cover:
Upgraded equipment within a practice is more often than not an investment to function and patient satisfaction. However, this equipment can also be a high-cost asset to have, with expensive replacements or repairs. They can also leave your practice more at risk if a break in attempt were to happen. At Lloyd & Whyte, contents cover will be included in your standard Practice Policy.
Cyber Liability:
With the use of artificial intelligence and increasing reliance on technology, cybercrime poses a greater risk than ever. Leaving your practice with a costly recovery period that also breaches compliance with data protection laws. By ensuring you have Cyber Liability in place, your losses during a period like this can helped to be mitigated.
Not only can Cyber Liability be a worth while reassurance of business continuity against hackers, but human error within the practice too for compliance.
It’s unlikely that the term “Digital Dentistry” is going anywhere in 2025. Practices should be taking measures now to prepare for a universal shift in AI influence and technological advancements. One approach a Practice Manager can take would be to review their practice’s risks and insurance needs as their renewal.
