Here are six statistics and trends showing how dental technology is evolving:
1. Venture capital funding hit more than $145 million for the oral health AI and machine learning sector in 2024.
2. Middle-market DSOs are taking advantage of AI technology now more than ever to gain a stronger presence in the dental field, becoming one of the largest adopters of these tools.
3. There have been four notable acquisitions of dental tech companies in recent months, including SprintRay, iCoreConnect, ZimVie and Biolase.
4. The use of salivary diagnostics continues to expand in dentistry, with many industry leaders seeing these tools as one of the biggest innovations in the field for integrating care.
5. More than 15% of dentists said they had invested in new equipment this year, while 22% said they plan to add new equipment later in the year, according to an American Dental Association survey.
6. Eighteen percent of dentists said they invested in new software this year, while another 18% said they plan to later in the year, according to an ADA survey.
