Sirona, Boston Univ. enter into unprecedented agreement on digital dentistry

SAN ANTONIO - Friday morning, Sirona Dental Systems and the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) announced an agreement that will enable GSDM to become the first all-digital dental school in the U.S.

The announcement was made at a press conference at the ADA 2014 annual meeting by Jeffrey Slovin, president and CEO of Sirona Dental Systems, and Jeffrey W. Hutter, DMD, MEd, dean of GSDM.

This agreement continues the school's mission to become the premier dental institution in the nation, Dr. Hutter said.

"This agreement will allow the school to take a leading role in the evolution of evidence-based dentistry," he said.

The agreement provides dental students at GSDM the opportunity to learn about the current digital dentistry landscape in fully equipped operatories. But the agreement will have wide-ranging impact for more than just dental students, according to Dr. Hutter.

"Patients will benefit from this cutting-edge technology," he said. "The future is here."

Slovin lauded the agreement at the press conference and in a press release.

"We are honored to enter into this first-of-its-kind endeavor with Boston University," he said. "Students will get to experience the true workings of a current dental practice environment, and we commend the university for leading the way toward educating its students using digital dentistry techniques. We are pleased to collaborate with Boston University in setting the stage for the future of dental education."

Specifically, all dental students will have ready access to the latest digital equipment purchased from Sirona to experience a full digital dentistry workflow, including both dental and laboratory techniques and applications. The GSDM Patient Treatment Centers will now be furnished with equipment from Sirona's Cerec, Schick, Galileos and inLab product lines.

A digital dentistry task force was established to transform the dental school curriculum to a completely digital learning environment several years ago, Dr. Hutter said. The task force set out with a goal to provide students with all the tools needed for comprehensive treatment plans and efficient delivery of the highest level of oral healthcare using digital dental technologies. After evaluating the necessary facilities, equipment, and technical support required to create a seamless all-inclusive system.

The findings of that task force led GSDM to enter into an agreement with Sirona that will enable GSDM to become the first all-digital school of dentistry in the U.S.

Slovin and Dr. Hutter both took the opportunity to acknowledge that, as the technology and software evolve, so will the agreement, so that GSDM students will have cutting-edge technology.