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Insights 2020: exocad celebrates a decade of digital innovation

This mission is at the heart of everything exocad does: to expand the possibilities of digital dentistry with its open and hardware-neutral software solutions. (Image: Dental Tribune International)
Monique Mehler, Dental Tribune International

Monique Mehler, Dental Tribune International

Wed. 23. September 2020

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DARMSTADT, Germany: CAD/CAM software provider exocad has celebrated its tenth anniversary and its newest releases at Insights 2020, which was held on 21 and 22 September at the darmstadtium congress centre in the “City of Science”. An extensive and high-quality programme—consisting of lectures, an exhibition, a live surgery and laboratory sessions—was delivered to participants on-site and online during the first hybrid event of its kind under the theme “A decade of innovation”.

On Monday morning, a press conference kicked off the much-anticipated meeting, which was supposed to take place in mid-March, but had to be postponed to autumn owing to the coronavirus outbreak. Of course, the ongoing pandemic was a prevalent topic during the session. Completely cancelling Insights 2020 was not an option and “is not in our DNA,” exocad’s chief commercial officer, Novica Savic, said. Instead, a hybrid solution was created that combined an on-site experience for those able to travel and an online one for those at home. “It is a test run,” the company representatives explained, and its success has proved their persistence right: with about 300 participants at darmstadtium and over 1,700 registrants online, Insights 2020 reached digital dentistry enthusiasts in over 50 countries.

Dental conferences in times of a pandemic

A very important part of ensuring an in-person exocad Insights was the event’s strict hygiene and safety regulations. Besides reminders to disinfect and wash hands regularly, social distancing wristbands, specifically developed for events, were handed out to participants, and of course, visitors were obliged to wear face masks while maintaining a safe distance from other people. Overall, all these measures helped both attendees and organisers feel secure, and these may sooner or later become the norm at large events.

Programme highlights

A warm welcome by Savic and an opening speech by CEO Tillmann Steinbrecher gave the audience a short overview of exocad’s history and its evolution from a small start-up to one of the leading digital dentistry software providers in the world. High on the agenda was a product presentation by Global Application Support Manager Michael Kohnen, who introduced the audience to the newest generation of exocad software, called Galway. During his slot, he demonstrated the best features of both DentalCAD 3.0 and exoplan 3.0. Waldo Zarco Nosti (Spain) then presented his first patient cases with the new DentalCAD Galway release.

Exocad’s comprehensive software solution portfolio makes it possible to respond to the rapidly changing world of the dental industry. Several benefits make working with exocad additionally attractive for dental professionals, including acceleration of the daily work routine, a flexible business model, continuously improved software security, maximum flexibility and vendor neutrality.

In the afternoon, Uli Hauschild moderated a live surgery session conducted by Dr Michael Berthold from a dental clinic at Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main in Germany. In light of exocad Insights 2020, Berthold and his team took on three pro bono surgeries to demonstrate the exciting possibilities of CAD/CAM dentistry.

Two very interesting and entertaining lectures followed the live surgery. In the first, Dr Michael Scherer (US) discussed the role of exocad in his combined clinical and laboratory dental practice and how the software can be used in daily clinical practice. Finally, business psychologist Dr Carl Naughton (Germany) provided effective insights for managing change as he took the audience on an interactive journey to individual brainpower.

During the breaks, participants had the opportunity to network with peers and tour the stands of the exhibiting partner companies. In total, 41 industry partners, including Align Technology, Amann Girrbach, DOF, Medit and Shining 3D, showcased their latest products, covering a wide range, such as milling machines and intra-oral scanners. Those attending from home were able to participate in this part of the event too, since they could talk to the experts in a virtual trade show and watch product demonstrations via video chat.

Clinical and laboratory sessions

The Tuesday morning of exocad Insights was dedicated to the partner company sessions, which were followed by the latest digital trends in hardware and materials that allow for the predictable and efficient implementation of patient-oriented treatment concepts. In the afternoon, the exocad team of software experts presented DentalCAD, exoplan and ChairsideCAD using exciting patient cases, allowing users to experience the unsurpassed flexibility and design freedom of exocad software. In the parallel clinical session, Dr Gulshan Murgai (UK) took participants through guided surgery and single-visit dentistry on an open software platform. The event was concluded by Dr Michael DiTolla (US) in his lecture, “The better than average myth”, where he shared what he has learned whilst practising inside the world’s largest dental laboratory.

A concept that works

What was prevalent throughout the whole event was exocad’s passion and drive to help dental professionals achieve care that changes patients’ lives. The company’s principle of “Your freedom is our passion” really rings true, and the event showed that experts around the globe trust exocad’s digital dentistry solutions for a good reason. The engaging presentations, especially, provided valuable knowledge and inspiration to the audience. For exocad’s CEO, the take-home message from Insights 2020 is clear: “Digitalisation is the key. The future belongs to open systems, and we would like to establish [this meeting] as a leading event for the CAD/CAM field”.

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