AEEDC Dubai is the largest annual scientific dental conference and exhibition in the world.
Basically, if IDS is the main dental conference in the world (but happens biannually), then AEEDC is a close second and the premiere event for the entire MENA region.
AEEDC started about 27 years ago as The UAE International Dental Conference and Arab Dental Exhibition, and over the years, it has grown into an important event on the dental calendar. It is held every year at the Dubai World Trade Center, and I have to say, the event was really well organized.
This year, more than 66,000 dental professionals and 3,600 exhibitors will attend the conference over 3 days, including some of the biggest players in the dental industry - like Medit, Ackuretta, Ivoclar, and more. Interestingly, 3Shape didn’t attend.
It’s great for the region; we’ve noticed that digital dentistry has rapidly expanded into the Middle East and will undoubtedly continue to grow.
As expected, lots of digital dentistry equipment and materials were on display. Below I’ve written some thoughts on the most notable things I saw on the first day of AEEDC.
Enjoy 🙂
Shining 3D
Shining 3D showcased their new 3D printer that was released just a few months ago - the AccuFab CEL.
This printer builds on the success of the AccuFab L4D printer, which I thought was already a decent low-cost option.
The main improvements the company has made to the AccuFab CEL are:
Improved printing speed.
- Ortho models - 12 minutes
- Surgical guide - 20 min
- Crown and bridge - 25min
- Denture - 70 min
Ceramic Build Platform
Shining 3D is the first company to make a ceramic build plate rather than a metal one. The idea of this is to prevent metal residues coming off the plate and into the resin vat, which apparently leaves black spots especially when 3D printing crown and bridge resins.
Offering Multi-Size Platforms
Much like Sprintray and Ackuretta, Shining 3D’s printer now offers different platforms for things like printing models vs crown and bridge.
One-click lock mechanism for the build plate
Making it easier to put on and take off
6K resolution sensor
Vat and resin warmer.
The company also released a new cart for the Shining 3D scanner.
Ackuretta SOL Plus
I got a chance to see Ackuretta’s new 3D Printer - the SOL Plus - up close, and I was really impressed.
SOL is an LCD 3D Printer with a monochromatic print screen, specifically designed for same day chairsdie dentistry. It can print at up to 3 times the speed as SLA printers, and has 5 times more UV power than previous Ackuretta models.
You get instant access to resin updates and a free trial to Ackuretta’s ALPHA AI software as well.
It really looks great in person, with a modern finish that would look great in your clinic. It seems like a pretty intuitive printer that shouldn’t be too hard to learn.
I’ll be looking to review this printer ASAP.
RAYFace
RAY was at the event, and although they didn’t have anything new to promote, it’s always great to see dentists who haven’t seen their RAYFace facial scanner use it for the first time.
It’s pretty cool tech that you really need to see in person to get an idea of. We wrote about it in a review which you can check here.
Hey Gears
Hey Gears was at the event showcasing all their 3D printers and their new clear aligner solution system for their A3D 3D printer, which they say can print over 1000 clear aligner models overnight - which is pretty impressive.
This printer can be set up to print multiple models and will automatically run each print and remove the models from the build platform after printing. Washing and curing is still manual however.
Quite a cool automated solution and reminds me of something like the Formlabs Automation workflow.
Atomica.AI
Atomica.AI is a american company that is focussing on AI cad designs for surgical guides.
At AEEDC they were showcasing a really cool stackable guide workflow. This basically did everything automatically after the user selected some few metrics like how deep they want the bone reduction guide etc.
I was really impressed with this workflow and stackable guides is something is being asked about more and more, and currently there is no easy solution to design them.
It is quite a convoluted process and what Atomica.AI seems like they have achieved looks really good.
It is definitely worth checking out.
3Disc
3Disc were showcasing their new Scan&Tell software, which comes with their newest scanner, the 3Disc OVO.
There is a big push for the scanner to be used as a communication aid. The software is supposed to help out with things like smile design, prelim exams, buccal monitoring, and some other cool stuff.
The 3DISC OVO is a scanner we will be reviewing soon at iDD and I am curious to see if their claims really match user experiences with the software.
One side note is that the company had a large booth and in my opinion, probably the best-looking booth out of nearly everyone at the event, so 3Disc clearly means business this year. It really looked suave and well designed.
Lilivis - new intraoral scanner!
Finally a new scanner IP. Does the market need another? Is there room for another scanner?
Well, Lilivis is a new Korean IP with a scanner, 3D printer, milling machine, and curing machine in its portfolio that will be released in the coming months.
I’m pretty intrigued by this company. It looks like they want to compete with Medit and CEREC because they can offer a complete ecosystem for dental professionals looking to keep all their work on the same system.
Their milling machine is a two-collet milling machine similar to CEREC. Meaning it will mill out a block using two burs simultaneously.
Many companies have tried to replicate the speed of the CEREC mills for chairside CAD/CAM, but no one’s gotten very far - the CEREC milling machine is in a class of its own.
So I’ll be really interested to see how this new machine compares against one of the best in the industry. Stay tuned for further updates.
Side note - is this too late for the market? Are we transitioning away from milling chairside and more 3D printing? Time will tell.
SprintRay
SprintRay didn’t really have too much to announce at this event; they just had their usual Crown Kit on display for you to ask questions about and interact with.
Interestingly, they did tell me that they had an exciting release planned in the next couple of months.
I’ll be heading to Chicago Mid Winter this year, so I’ll keep an eye out and make sure to do a blog about whatever they plan to release.
Runyes
Runyes didn’t showcase anything new, just a scanner cart, which you can see below.
Asiga
Asiga also mentioned they might be releasing some new hardware in the next couple of months, which is super exciting.
Apart from that, nothing really from Asiga at this event, just the usual resins like Ultra Gloss.
Lectures
I headed to AEEDC because a number of companies invited me to lecture on their behalf - which is always a great honor.
Alliedstar
I lectured for Alliedstar, an up-and-coming company that was acquired by Straumann. I spoke about wireless charging and how it’s never been so easy, particularly in regards to the Alliedstar’s AS 200E.
Wireless scanners used to be pretty niche, but I’m seeing more and more companies invest the time and resources in creating wireless scanners for their portfolio. It’s pretty cool to see the rapid development of this technology in real-time, and it leads me to believe that some of the shortcomings of wireless intraoral scanners could be addressed in the very near future.
Eighteeth
I also did a lecture on transitioning to digital dentistry with Eighteeth’s Helios 500 scanner. This scanner can be picked up for as low as $5,000 USD, making it a super affordable entry point for anyone yet to plunge into digital dentistry.
As you all know, price is the main barrier for most dentists who aren’t implementing digital dentistry in their clinics, so it’s really important that we spread the word about low-cost options that could help dental professionals utilize digital dentistry more in their clinics.
Medit
I did a lecture on How to Utilize Medit Software for Maximum Return on Investment. I've been saying for years that Medit's software apps are some of the best in the industry - and they're completely free as well.
Dentbird Solutions
Dentbird Solutions is a company that offers automated CAD solutions to dental professionals and promises to help you save time, increase productivity, and boost revenue.
They use artificial intelligence to design crowns; you just upload a scan on their online browser and then the AI can help you create a perfect restoration for your patient. The data is uploaded to the cloud, where you can access it wherever you want, with unlimited connected devices.
Dentbird showcased all their solutions at AEEDC. The company has come a long way now, offering posterior crown/inlay/onlay designs, posterior bridges, anterior crowns, and implant crowns.
At AEEDC, they also announced a deal they have going on for $1 per crown design - which is insane when you think about it.
Is the future of dental CAD going to be AI-driven?
Align Technology
Align Technology was also at AEEDC 2024, but they didn’t have any new stuff to showcase. Namely, they did not have their iTero Lumina on show, which is expected to be at Chicago Mid Winter.
Instead, their booth was predominately about their growing scanner software and Invisalign ecosystem. Over the years they have made many improvements to their software - which looked much better than it used to be, especially workflow-wise.
The iTero Lumina is going to be officially launched on the 15th of February. Keep an eye out for our coverage of the event.
TruAbutment
This was one of the booths I was most excited about. TruAbutment showcased a new solution that they think will one day replace photogrammetry - using just your iPhone/iPad and what they call T-markers. These looked like little peek photogrammetry scan bodies, and the company said this is going to be the next evolution of full arch restorative cases.
When I tried it, it didn’t seem to work, but they did advise me this is not yet released on the market. It is still under development, and I am super excited about this - if the company can pull it off.
They also had some snap-on scan abutments that can be used as a scan body and a fixed prosthetic transfer, which was really interesting.
Overall a lot going on at TruAbutment HQ.
RAYSHAPE
RAYSHAPE was also at the event amongst a sea of 3D printer providers. They didn’t have anything new to show, but I got a good look at their 3D printer, the Edge E1.
It’s a 4K LCD 3D printer with a 192 × 120 × 190 mm platform size. It can be made to create all the usual applications - aligners, study models, dentures, splints etc.
It’s definitely geared to those who are new to digital dentistry, with a big emphasis on ease of use and intuitive software. It looks super sleek, as you can see in the photo below.
Envista
Nothing new from Envista either. At the event, they showcased their Spark Clear Aligner System. There wasn’t much talk about what was new with Carestream Dental, but I’ll keep an ear out to see if the company plans on releasing or optimizing any of the existing scanners.
As I am currently reviewing and testing the DEXIS 3800, I will say that the company is releasing new software updates for the scanner with the aim to try to optimize it as much as possible.
Planmeca
Not too much new stuff has been released from Planmeca, however they have done a pretty sizeable update to their software. They are releasing a brand new CAM software very soon, the CAD is staying the same. I also got a chance to look at their new orthodontic simulator software Romexis as well.
The company is not giving up and continues to develop the Planmeca scanner system. The orthodontic simulator that is being added is a sign of the times with more and more scanner companies adding ‘apps’ to their scanner software.
And that was basically all the big companies!In the halls of AEEDC there was also an abundance of new 3D Printers and resins. Once again this seems to be the next big thing that everyone is talking about in digital dentistry.
Notably there were a few big companies missing. 3Shape and Dentsply Sirona. Perhaps this is not really their market to focus on due to buying power? Who knows but they will without a doubt be in Chicago Mid Winter hapenning next week which I will be covering.
Let me know if you have any questions!