The Utilisation of CAD/CAM Technology Amongst Austrian Dentists: A Pilot Study

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. 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. 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. CAD/CAM technology appears to have infiltrated the workflow of Austrian dentists with predictions of growing implementation amongst dental practices in the future.