📰 DENTAL INDUSTRY NEWS | What’s Happening in Dentistry?
It’s been a busy few weeks across the dental industry. Here are several developments worth watching:
🤖 Dental technology continues moving toward smarter, connected care. New oral-care technology is incorporating cameras, machine learning and real-time patient feedback. Dyson recently entered the oral-care market with its CameraJet toothbrush, while other manufacturers are expanding smart brushing and preventive-care technologies.
🔬 Innovation alone isn’t enough — clinical adoption matters. The September issue of JADA examines why promising dental technologies sometimes fail to make the jump into everyday clinical practice. Researchers point to clinical evidence, workflow integration, cost, regulation and patient acceptance as important factors in whether new technology actually gets adopted. The issue also addresses ethical considerations surrounding AI in dental practice.
🏛️ Dental insurance reform continues across the U.S. According to the ADA, more than 100 dental insurance reform bills were introduced across 37 states during the 2026 legislative season, with 18 states enacting 33 new laws so far this year. Issues include assignment of benefits, virtual credit cards and provider network leasing.
🇺🇸 Federal oral-health funding remains in place for now. A short-term federal funding measure maintains current funding through December 11 for programs supporting oral health, dental research and the dental workforce, including funding for the CDC Oral Health Program, HRSA oral-health workforce programs and NIDCR.
🦷 The bigger picture: Dentistry continues to evolve at the intersection of technology, clinical evidence, prevention, regulation and practice economics. For dental professionals, staying informed is becoming just as important as keeping up clinically.
Sources / Further Reading:
ADA — Dental Insurance Reform:
https://adanews.ada.org/ada-news/2026/september/400-laws-and-counting-dental-advocacy-is-driving-change/
ADA — Federal Oral Health Funding:
https://adanews.ada.org/ada-news/2026/september/president-trump-signs-continuing-resolution-maintaining-oral-health-funding/
DentistryIQ — New Oral-Care Technology:
https://www.dentistryiq.com/newsworthy/product-launches-partnerships/article/55406104/dyson-launches-camerajet-electric-toothbrush-with-built-in-camera
What development do you think will have the biggest impact on dentistry over the next few years?
#DentalResourceNetwork #DentalIndustryNews #Dentistry #DentalTechnology #DentalProfessionals
DRN Featured Company: Inventory Sight
Rethinking Dental Inventory Management Through RFID Technology
Managing inventory may not be the most visible part of running a dental practice, but it can have a significant impact on efficiency, overhead, and staff time.
This week, Dental Resource Network (DRN) features Inventory Sight, a dental technology company focused on modernizing the way practices track and manage their supplies.
At the center of the company's offering is DTrackAll, a cloud-based dental inventory management platform powered by RFID technology. The system is designed for individual practices, multi-location groups, and DSOs across dental specialties.
From Manual Counting to Real-Time Visibility
Traditional inventory management can involve staff manually counting supplies, maintaining spreadsheets, monitoring expiration dates, and determining when products need to be reordered.
Inventory Sight takes a different approach.
Using its RFID handheld technology, staff can perform office-wide inventory checks in minutes while the DTrackAll platform provides real-time visibility into supply levels. Practices can continue using their existing storage rather than installing specialized RFID cabinets or lockers.
The platform is designed to help practices monitor:
- Current inventory levels
- Low or depleting stock
- Upcoming product expirations
- Overstocked items
- Dormant products
- Inventory location and movement
- Inventory trends through dashboards and reporting
Why Inventory Management Matters
For dental practices, inventory isn't simply about making sure supplies are available.
Excess inventory ties up capital. Expired products create waste. Understocking can disrupt clinical operations. And the staff hours spent counting, locating, ordering, and managing supplies represent another operational cost.
The goal behind Inventory Sight is to give practice owners and teams greater visibility into that part of their business while reducing the manual work traditionally required to manage it.
The company says its technology can provide visibility down to the individual inventory unit while generating real-time dashboards and reports that practices can use to make purchasing and operational decisions.
Built Specifically With Dentistry in Mind
Inventory Sight says it was founded through the combination of dental supply industry experience and RFID technology expertise.
Its leadership team brings experience across dental and healthcare supply chains, RFID hardware and software, SaaS integrations, and large-scale RFID deployments. According to the company, its dental and medical experience collectively spans more than five decades.
That combination is important because inventory management in dentistry presents unique challenges—from everyday consumables to higher-value products such as implant components.
A More Data-Driven Dental Practice
Technology continues to change the clinical side of dentistry, but some of the industry's most meaningful innovations are happening behind the scenes.
Better visibility into inventory can help practices understand where money is being spent, where products are being wasted, and where operational inefficiencies exist.
Inventory Sight represents part of a broader movement toward using technology and real-time data to make dental practices more efficient businesses—not just more technologically advanced clinical environments.
DRN Featured Company
Inventory Sight, LLC
Dental inventory management technology powered by cloud-based software and RFID.
Learn more about Inventory Sight
DRN Featured Company highlights companies, technologies, and organizations helping shape the future of dentistry.
📰 DRN Industry Report
Insurance Continues to Be Dentistry's #1 Business Challenge
According to recent ADA Health Policy Institute data, insurance issues are now the top concern for dental practices, ahead of staffing and overhead costs. Low reimbursement rates, claim denials, downcoding, and administrative burden continue to impact practices nationwide.
💬 Professional Discussion
What is the biggest challenge your practice faces with dental insurance today?
- Claim denials?
- Downcoding?
- Low reimbursements?
- Administrative burden?
- Something else?
Share your experience and join the discussion with colleagues across the country.
👉 Register. Complete your profile. Join the discussion.
https://staging.dentalresourcenetwork.org
Connect. Collaborate. Grow.
Dental Resource Network Proudly Sponsors the IAOCI Annual Congress
Dental Resource Network is honored to announce our sponsorship of the IAOCI Annual Congress, one of the premier educational events in implant dentistry.
Each year, the IAOCI brings together internationally recognized clinicians, researchers, educators, and industry leaders to share the latest advancements in implant dentistry, bone regeneration, digital workflows, surgical techniques, prosthetic innovations, and patient care.
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from an outstanding lineup of speakers, participate in hands-on educational experiences, discover emerging technologies, and collaborate with some of the brightest minds in our profession.
At Dental Resource Network, our mission is to connect clinicians with the latest industry news, research, education, and professional opportunities. Supporting organizations like the IAOCI reflects our commitment to advancing dentistry through collaboration, innovation, and continuing education.
We encourage all implant clinicians and dental professionals to explore this exceptional event and experience the world-class education the IAOCI continues to provide.
Learn more and register today:
https://www.iaoci.com/iaoci-annual-congress/
JADA Impact Factor Climbs to 4.4, Reflecting Growing Influence of Dental Research
The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) has increased its Impact Factor to 4.4, now ranking among the leading journals in dentistry, oral surgery, and oral medicine. The milestone highlights the growing influence of evidence-based research in shaping clinical practice and advancing patient care.
Whether you're in private practice, academia, or specialty care, staying current with high-quality research has never been more important.
🔗 Read more:
💬 Discussion:
How often do you incorporate new peer-reviewed research into your clinical decision-making?
The Oral Microbiome: One of Dentistry's Fastest-Growing Fields
Emerging research continues to strengthen the connection between the oral microbiome and systemic health, reinforcing dentistry's expanding role in preventive medicine. As our understanding evolves, clinicians have new opportunities to improve both oral and overall patient health.
🔗 Read more:
- https://ostrowonline.usc.edu/what-your-oral-microbiome-reveals-and-what-your-dentist-can-do/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41752930/
💬 Discussion:
How do you see the oral microbiome influencing patient care over the next decade?
Bioactive Materials Are Reshaping Restorative Dentistry
Bioactive and ion-releasing restorative materials are gaining attention for their ability to support remineralization, reduce recurrent decay, and preserve tooth structure. As minimally invasive dentistry continues to evolve, these materials are changing how clinicians approach long-term restorative care.
👉 Read the research:
- Frontiers in Dental Medicine – Bioactive & Ion-Releasing Materials
- Journal of Clinical Medicine – Minimally Invasive Dentistry Review
Discussion:
Have bioactive restorative materials become part of your everyday workflow? Why or why not?
🧬 The Future of Dentistry May Be in Saliva
Salivary diagnostics are redefining preventive care, enabling clinicians to detect inflammation, disease risk, and systemic health conditions earlier than ever before. The next frontier in dentistry isn't just treatment—it's prediction.
👉 Read the latest research on DRN and join the discussion.
Question: Do you believe salivary diagnostics will become part of routine dental care within the next five years?
📰 Industry News
New research suggests titanium particles released around dental implants may reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics used to treat peri-implantitis. The findings reinforce the importance of prevention, maintenance, and early intervention to support long-term implant success.
🔗 Read more: https://www.dental-tribune.com/news/
#DentalResourceNetwork #ImplantDentistry #PeriImplantitis #DentalResearch #EvidenceBasedDentistry
AI Is Transforming Dentistry Faster Than Ever.
Artificial intelligence is changing diagnostics, treatment planning, patient communication, and practice efficiency. Is your practice ready for what's next?
👉 Read more: Harvard School of Dental Medicine – Artificial Intelligence in Dental Medicine