Sustainability in Dentistry: How to Minimise Your Environmental Impact

Humanity has made great strides in technology and innovation but much of this has come at the cost of our natural world. Many of us are aware that building a sustainable future means making sustainable choices. From our personal lives to our business practices, there are many ways each of us can make a difference for our future. We examine the ways the dental industry is rising to this challenge and offer suggestions for reducing your dental practice's environmental impact.

Why follow a sustainable model?

The most obvious and important reason to make a move toward sustainability is that it benefits our future. However, there are also business benefits to consider. As our community places greater importance on sustainability, they are likely to choose products and services that align with these personal values. Patients will want to know how your practice contributes to a sustainable future and may be more likely to choose your practice if you can provide them with great answers.

5 ways to increase sustainability in your practice

There are many areas in which the dental industry can minimise their environmental impacts without affecting the safety or quality of dental care. Here are 5 places you can make a sustainable difference without impacting your services.

1. Minimising water use

Water usage can and should be monitored. A simple option is to use your previous year's water bills to create a usage benchmark. The aim is then to meet or decrease this benchmark. Suggestions for achieving this could be upgrading to 4, 5 or 6-star water rated appliances and using low-water cleaning methods where it does not impact the clinical outcome.

2. Maximising recycling

Providing clearly identifiable recycling bins in your practice is a great first step and you can now go even further. Specialised recycling programs exist that handle items such as old metal instruments, printer cartridges and electrical equipment. If there is an option to not use a physical copy, such as keeping digital rather than paper records, this will reduce the need to recycle at all.

3. Changing your purchase habits

By setting up a regular schedule for stocking your practice with office essentials, you can more easily buy in bulk. This reduces costs to you and means less transport and packaging impacts on our environment. Where possible, choosing products which are recyclable or are made from recycled materials is also ideal.

4. Improving your practice rooms

Energy and cleaning upgrades can help your surgery rooms contribute to your sustainable practice. Swap your lights to environmentally friendly LEDs, minimise water use during cleaning and use biodegradable cleaning agents cleaning agents where appropriate (just check with your equipment manufacturer and fit-out provider first.)

5. Recommend biodegradable products

Sustainable practices that begin in the dental practice can translate to the home. Many dental care products are being made with biodegradable materials to minimise plastic use. Choosing to stock or recommend these products shows your commitment to a more sustainable future.

The latest products and innovations are at ADX Melbourne

ADX Melbourne is Australia's premier dental event hosted by ADIA in May 2021. There will be ample opportunities to discover what a sustainable future in dentistry could look like. From the exhibition floor to the Sustainability Program category at the 2021 Australian Dental Industry Awards, we are committed to ensuring our environment is a focus of our event. Register now for ADX Melbourne and subscribe to ADX Melbourne updates or follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn. Save the date: ADX Melbourne will be hosted from 6-8 May 2021.

The Australian Dental Industry Association (ADIA) is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Business Australia.

ADIA Chief Executive Officer Kym De Britt said the partnership was conceived as a way to provide more varied business support to members. "This has been a challenging year for many businesses and this collaboration with Business Australia has come at an ideal time. Business Australia's strength is providing advice and solutions for businesses, and this partnership offers even more support to our members," Mr De Britt said.

"This partnership comes at a time when businesses across the country have experienced a year of great change, and we're here to provide some of the support, resources and tools businesses need to help them through the ongoing changes they'll face" said Richard Spencer, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Business Australia.

ENDS.

ADIA Media Team
Australian Dental Industry Association
E: media@adia.org.au

For further information on the Awards visit the website at adia.org.au.

3. Invisible aligners
Invisible aligners are not a brand new technology though their popularity has soared in recent years, thanks in part to 3D printing. With the proper expert advice, patients can expect aesthetic improvements and moderate adjustments for common issues such as overbites, overcrowding and rotations. Many reputable brands offer these products through dental practices which allows for the necessary expert advice and provides patients with appropriate care throughout their procedure.

4. Laser technology
Laser dentistry has such a wide range of applications that it is hard to imagine it not becoming an industry standard in years to come. Everything from teeth whitening to removing tooth decay, reshaping gums, and removing bacteria during root canals can be done through laser technology. The benefits of laser dentistry apply to both practitioners and patients. Dentists can perform smoother procedures while patients experience less discomfort and can expect shorter healing times. Lasers have the added benefit of sterilising the gums which lowers risk for infection.

5. Medicated chewing gum
Researchers around the world are considering the potential of chewing gum for drug delivery in medical and dental products. In the UK, a study used a chewing robot to assess the efficacy of medicated gum in comparison to human consumption. In both the human and robot trials, the gum released similar amounts of drugs. Using robots has exciting potential as it allows for safer drug testing, avoiding side effects to human patients, and at a lower cost. While human trials will still be important for testing safety, efficacy can be trialled using robots to avoid unnecessary exposure to drugs for people.

6. Robo-dentistry
Robotics are not just making their mark in dental research. Robo-dentistry and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is being considered for procedures. As with all AI, it is limited in the fact that it cannot react to a situation for which it has not been programmed. However, in the case of minimally invasive or routine procedures, there is great potential. Practices such as cleaning, basic fillings and cap applications could one day be the job of a robo-dentist. This field has only been growing in the last two or so years, but we are excited to find out where it will take us next.

Find all the latest innovative technology at ADX Melbourne

New technologies and advancements are happening all the time. At ADX Melbourne you can connect with industry leaders through exhibits, expert talks and learning sessions. We will have many of the latest innovations in dentistry. Follow our blog for more information as event details are confirmed and save the date. ADX Melbourne will be held at the Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre from 6-8 May 2021.