Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Introduction to Digital Technology in Dentistry and Digitalisation of Patient Records
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, English
Teaching staff
Coordinator: Dr. Oscar Figueras.
Tutorial sessions with the lecturer responsible for the course, by prior appointment via email, either in person at the Faculty or by videoconference.
TEACHING MATERIALS
Virtual platform with presentations, scanning protocols, and assigned reading articles.
Access to the CAD-CAM laboratory, design room, and university clinic.
Introduction
This course is the gateway to the master’s program. It establishes the foundations of the digital workflow and the patient digitization skills upon which the remaining courses are built. The sessions combine theory and hands-on practice in the CAD-CAM laboratory and the university clinic.
Pre-course requirements
Hold a degree in Dentistry or Medicine (Specialist in Stomatology).
A sufficient level of English to read scientific literature is recommended.
Students must have a laptop that meets the specifications indicated by the program and a 3D mouse.
Objectives
To provide students with an in-depth understanding of the digital workflow and its components.
To train students to perform accurate scanning with different intraoral scanners.
To familiarize students with comprehensive patient digitization, including photography, 3D radiology, facial scanning, and mandibular movement recording.
To train students to integrate and align files from different sources and build a complete digital patient.
To introduce students to artificial intelligence–based diagnostic support tools and their critical evaluation.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
To understand the latest technologies in dentistry and their application in daily clinical practice.
To diagnose and plan treatments using digital tools, coordinating the necessary interdisciplinary consultations.
To communicate efficiently with the dental laboratory using properly acquired digital records.
To critically evaluate the scientific evidence regarding the technologies used.
Learning outcomes of the subject
Students will be able to use terminology specific to digital dentistry and describe the complete digital workflow.
Students will be able to select the appropriate intraoral scanner for each clinical situation and perform scanning using the correct scanning strategy.
Students will be able to obtain intraoral and extraoral photographic series for diagnostic purposes.
Students will be able to interpret and manage three-dimensional radiological records and perform DICOM segmentation.
Students will be able to perform facial scanning and mandibular movement recording.
Students will be able to align files from different sources and generate a complete digital patient.
Syllabus
Fundamentals of digital dentistry: updates in digital workflows, types of CAD software, types of intraoral scanners, and differences between 3D printing and milling.
3D patient digitization: intraoral and extraoral digital photography, 3D radiology (CBCT, panoramic radiography), mandibular movement recording (SDI matrix, MODJAW, Zebris), extraoral facial scanning, and intraoral scanning.
Patient information integration tools: file types, file alignment, and DICOM segmentation.
Artificial intelligence–assisted digital diagnosis: second-opinion systems, caries detection tools integrated into intraoral scanners, and critical evaluation of their diagnostic performance.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
Lectures and seminars.
Practical sessions in the CAD-CAM laboratory and design room, in small groups.
Intraoral scanning practice on models and patients.
Discussion of selected scientific articles.
Presentations by different dental companies.
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
Continuous assessment of theoretical knowledge and practical activities completed by the student.
Assessment of skills in intraoral scanning, photography, and file integration.
Assessment of the assigned readings from selected articles and recommended documentation.
Submission and presentation of complete digitized cases.
Attendance and punctuality.
Bibliography and resources
Frequently consulted journals: Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, Journal of Dentistry, Clinical Oral Investigations, International Journal of Computerized Dentistry, Journal of Prosthodontic Research, Dental Materials.
Selected articles will be made available through the virtual learning platform.
User manuals and technical documentation for the scanning systems and software used at the Faculty.