Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2025
Digital Hybrid Model Preparation for Virtual Planning of Reconstructive Dentoalveolar Surgical Procedures
Published on: August 5, 2021
The Utilisation of CAD/CAM Technology Amongst Austrian Dentists: A Pilot Study
Tihomir Krastev1, Michael Payer2, Zhivko Krastev3
1Department of Oral Surgery and Orthodontics, University Clinic of Dental Medicine and Oral Health, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Objective:
Computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) technology in dentistry has become noticeably more significant in recent years. The further development of CAD/CAM systems has led to a broader range of applications, more user-friendly operation, and improved accessibility. The present online survey aimed to investigate CAD/CAM technology utilisation amongst Austrian dentists as the first social media pilot study from Europe on this specific topic.
Materials And Methods:
For this purpose, an online survey consisting of 27 questions was created using Google Forms. The questions were divided into 3 sections: general inquiries, questions for CAD/CAM users, and questions for nonusers. The questionnaire was randomly distributed to Austrian dentists via email and social media. A total of 115 responses were submitted.
Results:
The vast majority of respondents, 52.6% (n = 60), practised as general dentists. Furthermore, a significant proportion of participants specialised in oral surgery, 17.5% (n = 20), and orthodontics, 12.3% (n = 14). Approximately half of the respondents, 51.8% (n = 59), reported having a CAD/CAM device at their current workplace. Amongst the CAD/CAM users, 70.7% (n = 58) believed that CAD/CAM is important in increasing the number of patients visiting the dental practice. In total, 54.2% (n = 26) of nonusers indicated the high initial cost of purchasing a CAD/CAM device as the main reason for not utilising this technology.
Conclusions:
CAD/CAM technology appears to have infiltrated the workflow of Austrian dentists with predictions of growing implementation amongst dental practices in the future.
