BRUSSELS, Belgium: On December 1, dental professionals from around the world came together for the launch of a new virtual reality (VR) environment called Dentaverse. Based on Web3 technologies, Dentaverse aims to create a meeting point for the global community of dentists, dental students and dental industry professionals. According to its founder and CEO, Martin Ravets, the platform has the potential to bridge the gap between physical and virtual oral care and overcome the barriers of time and distance to create a truly inclusive international dental community.
Dental Tribune International (DTI) spoke to Ravets just hours before the launch using video call technology that linked DTI’s editorial office in Leipzig, Germany to Dentaverse’s headquarters in Brussels. Popularized during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, streaming and video calling platforms can only bring connectivity so far. Commenting on the immersive experience that Dentaverse offers, especially through the use of VR headsets, Ravets said: “If we met there, we would have eye contact and you could see and follow my gestures and my body language. , and I yours. It would be a completely different kind of interaction.
Let’s take a step back and explain exactly what Dentaverse is. Popular community-based web tools, such as Instagram and LinkedIn, underpin the platform, and these are combined with new Web3 technologies, such as blockchain, metaverse and cryptocurrency payment, to create a virtual environment where users can interact with each other, attend and host events, and even showcase and learn about dental treatments and products.
Dentaverse Lounge Club stand at Dentex Dentalia 2022 in Brussels, Belgium. (Image: Dentaverse)
Ravets says that although Web3 technologies are not widely used by dental practices today, they will quickly become standard working tools. “Right now it’s similar to the late 1980s and the 1990s,” Ravets explained. “We were told that websites would become an essential tool to present your practice, to share information. And the same thing happened around 2010 with social media when we were told that communication and networking would be reinvented. These technologies are now so commonplace that one cannot imagine working without them. The same will be true with technologies like digital assets and blockchain, simply because these technologies really enable people to do a lot of great things.
The immense potential of virtual interaction
Ravets believes that connecting the global dental community will help create a better future for dentistry, especially given the immense potential for virtual interaction in the areas of connectivity and education. He explained: “What this means for dentists, for example, is that they can organize and attend workshops, thus exchanging knowledge and experiences in real time. Imagine the following scenario: for a certain complex dental procedure, a dentist in Turkey could consult an expert in South Korea in real time, simulate and practice the procedure, and learn the details of a specific technique, receiving feedback and instructions from his or her peers.
More generally, technology is well placed to create a strong international dental community that includes dental students and clinicians and enables networking between the two groups. Ravets asked, “How exciting would it be for students to get to know their future mentors or colleagues while they’re still in college, only to get an internship already through connections in the Dentaverse environment?” Quite simply, it creates a place to connect, grow and have fun, and to shape the dental industry of tomorrow with like-minded people.
Dentaverse 4K Club NFT Animation 3D membership, available on Opensea and Dentaverse. (Image: Dentaverse)
Is the future of dental education and events already here?
Dental training and gatherings have been largely moved online in 2020 and 2021, due to travel restrictions and closures. This development has increased the acceptance of online tools, so Ravets and his team are particularly excited about what Dentaverse could offer in these areas.
Here, solutions are created in partnership with manufacturers, institutions and event organizers. Ravets explained, “We have a partnership with Saratogo and have been working together for months, looking at how great online dental education is today and how it could be improved. In addition to manual work and physical classes at the university, cameras record what students do on the frasaco ghost head, and this is streamed. Students can review these streams, and the use of this technology has increased a lot during the pandemic. By using Dentaverse, a university can truly know if students have attended and listened to a virtual classroom, and it can allow students to do a lot of virtual test training. It’s much more fun for students and it’s really a totally different method in which students can connect with each other anytime. That’s how we’re approaching it, working with the university to move streaming from 2D to a 3D communication tool.
VR technology is also well suited for dental events, and the organizers of the AEEDC Dubai dental conference and exhibition in the United Arab Emirates recently announced a new partnership with Dentaverse that “will blaze new trails in dental education, connectivity and networking”. The meeting will take place February 7-9 next year and Dentaverse is hosting a special event at the city’s Museum of the Future on the eve of the congress. There, dentists will have the chance to see and experience the platform, and Dentaverse ambassadors from around the world will be on hand at the Dubai event to offer live workshops, experiences and events related to Dentaverse and virtual applications in the dental field.
First global dental hybrid VR event on December 1, 2022 between Dentaverse headquarters and the virtual platform. Readers can browse the virtual platform here. (Image: Dentaverse)
The two partners are expected to soon unveil a joint virtual exhibition platform that will provide a world first of the immersive experience to the global dental community. “Dentists will be able to join AEEDC Dubai using a phone or computer, but of course the best option would be to participate with a VR set, to get that immersive experience,” Ravets said, adding that the group of ambassadors Dentaverse was already in place. region, working on special projects that address topics such as a new dental care research center and the effectiveness of toothbrushing using the platform.
Developing Dentaverse was a labor of love for Ravets, a young entrepreneur who feels equally at home in the dental world as he does digitally. When it comes to innovation, he says dentistry is on the verge of a big leap forward. He explained, “Usually, growth and innovation in the dental industry mainly occurs through the introduction of more ergonomic equipment or better treatment techniques. However, Dentaverse brings a new angle to dental collaboration and adds new tools to spread dental education and create an inclusive international community. Digital solutions are bridging the gap between physical care and virtual care, enabling healthcare providers and educators to overcome the barriers of time and distance. For this reason, I see Dentaverse as an important step in the future of dentistry.
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