CDA Essentials 2019 • Volume 6 • Issue 3

17 Issue 3 | 2019 | CDA at W ork ❘� Why did CDA develop this statement? There were three main concerns we’d been hearing about related to new technologies. The first concern was that marketing hype can overshadow reality, in terms of the expected benefits a technology will bring to your practice. Heavy marketing can create the impression that a particular technology is more effective than it actually is and downplay the importance of good case selection and other limitations the technology may have. The second concern we hear from dentists is the challenge of assessing whether a financial investment in new technology—which can be significant—is worthwhile. To determine this, dentists have to consider the number of cases where they expect to use the new technology, whether there will be any additional technology-related costs for their patients, and if this additional cost can be justified by better health outcomes or an improved patient experience. Finally, the question of suitable training becomes important when adopting a new technology. Dentists are very comfortable working as part of a well-coordinated team, in terms of how we communicate and work with team members. But new technologies can change our established routines. So finding a quality training program can help dentists decide if a new treatment approach is a good choice for their practice and can help identify what sort of in-office training will be needed for the entire team. ❘� One of the statement’s recommendations is that dentists assess the evidence related to new technologies. Where should dentists look for help on this? A couple of places to start would be Cochrane Oral Health ( oralhealth.cochrane.org ) and the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health ( cadth.ca ) . Cochrane Oral Health produces high quality systematic reviews related to prevention, diagnosis and treatment of oral diseases. Their plain language summaries are great if you don’t have time to read a 100-page review! CADTH produces health technology assessments that can cover both the clinical and economic evidence for a specific technology. ❘� Is medical device licensing by Health Canada a factor that should be considered when assessing new technologies? Some of the technologies covered in our position statement must have a Health Canada Medical Device License before they can be sold in Canada. The license is an indication that CDA Position Statement on Adoption of New or Existing Technologies New technologies for diagnosing and treating oral diseases have the potential to change how dentistry is done. But the decision to adopt a new technology in a dental practice can be a tough one to make. In February, CDA’s Clinical and Scientific Affairs Committee published a new position statement on the adoption of new or existing technologies that offers guidance for dentists who are examining the potential benefit of a technology for their patients. Dr. Aaron Burry, CDA’s associate director of professional affairs, explains why decision-making about new technology purchases based on the best available evidence can be a challenge. Dr. Aaron Burry The first concern was that marketing hype can overshadow reality, in terms of the expected benefits a technolog y will bring to your practice.