Busan City Supports Smart Dental Laboratory Environment Improvement

Expansion of Smart Dental Laboratories Supported by Digital Systems
Enhancing Competitiveness of Dental Laboratories through Improvement of Poor Environments

Conceptual Diagram of Smart Dental Laboratory Environment Improvement Project.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Busan City is undertaking a project to improve the outdated working environment of local dental laboratories and support digital production systems to transform and foster them into ‘Smart Dental Laboratories.’

On the 6th, the city announced that following the selection of three companies in the first phase of the pilot project for smart environment improvement in dental laboratories, it will recruit one additional company in the second phase.

The ‘Smart Environment Improvement Pilot Project for Dental Laboratories’ is a project newly launched by Busan City this year. As digitalization is rapidly advancing in the field of dental treatment, the dental technology industry also increasingly requires a transition to digitalization.

The aim is to enhance the competitiveness of dental laboratories by improving outdated working environments and promoting the dissemination of digital systems in various dental technology fields, thereby spreading a standard digital manufacturing model that aligns with ‘digital dentistry.’

Through a call for applications in May, 17 companies applied, and after on-site inspections and expert evaluations, three dental laboratories (Won Dental Laboratory Co., Ltd., Moru Dental Laboratory, and Yewon Dental Laboratory) were finally selected.

Each laboratory will be supported in improving the manufacturing process of dental prosthetics and deriving standard digital manufacturing models for each dental prosthetic by introducing digital production systems such as 3D printer equipment in the fields of partial dentures, implants, and aesthetic prosthetics. Additionally, the project plans to improve the poor working environment of dental laboratories by providing dust collectors and dust tables.

Busan City will select one company through a second additional recruitment to expand digital dental laboratories. The recruitment announcement will be made from the 6th to the 15th, followed by on-site inspections from the 17th to the 21st, and the final decision will be made through evaluation on the 23rd and 24th. The support amount is 20 million KRW.

Byun Sung-wan, Acting Mayor of Busan, stated, “Through the Smart Environment Improvement Pilot Project for Dental Laboratories, we will support small-scale dental laboratories to digitalize, promoting productivity improvement, quality enhancement, and performance improvement.” He added, “In the future, Busan will take the lead as a center of the dental medicine industry by attracting the Korea Dental Industry Research Institute.”