The dental industry in the Middle East will continue to move into digital dentistry and will wildly adopt 3D printing within the digital dental laboratories in the next five years, according to Jackys Business Solutions, an end-to-end solutions provider for major corporations in the region.

Ashish Panjabi, COO of Jackys Business Solutions said, 3D printers are now becoming more popular across a growing number of dental clinics and hospitals in the region particularly during the end of process in the dental and orthodontic labs. Using 3D printers, dental labs are able to maximise production and profitability while improving quality and precision of the required end products.

During this years UAE International Dental Conference & Arab Dental Exhibition AEEDC Dubai, Jackys Business Solutions showcased the Objet30 OrthoDesk 3D printer from Stratasys, the first professional Desktop 3D printer that is exclusively designed for smaller orthodontic labs and clinics. Expected to change the landscape of digital dentistry, the OrthoDesk 3D Printer is equipped to efficiently produce stone models, orthodontic appliances, delivery and positioning trays, retainers and surgical guides.

The dental industry across the world has recently adopted new technologies to replace the manual process in dental laboratories with more efficient digital applications such as the computer-aided design (CAD) and 3D printers. By combining oral scanning, CAD and computer-aided manufacturer (CAM) designs, along with 3D printing, dental laboratories can accurately produce crowns, bridges and stone models right on the desktop, said Eric Erickson, Business Manager, Dental EMEA at Stratasys.

While 3D printers are becoming quite popular in the dental industry, there are only five per cent of dentists who are using digital technologies worldwide, with 10 per cent of dental labs moving to digital applications and 3D printers. Currently, Stratasys have installed more than 500 printers in dental laboratories across the globe, Erickson added.

The Objet30 OrthoDesk 3D Printer is compatible with any digital scanning machines and can be used by any dentists and dental technicians. Using this 3D printer from Stratasys, fabrication time can dramatically reduce with patients no longer need to undergo physical impressions.

Furthermore, during the dental exhibition, Jackys Business Solutions business partner Concept Laser, showcased dental samples printed using Mlab cusing metal laser melting system. The 3D printers from Concept Laser, also widely used in the dental and medical industries, are using Titanium alloy and Cobalt-chromium-alloy, which are used for crowns, bridges, and frames for metal ceramic veneering among others.