1. THE 3D PRINTING REVOLUTION AND THE DENTAL SECTOR:
Opportunities, challenges and future applications
Brussels, 10 December 2016
3D printing and additive manufacturing offer new opportunities for the medical and dental sectors. These
opportunities pave the way to mass customization but they require a roadmap to identify the strategic
regulatory and standardisation framework at the EU level.
These issues have been debated at the conference "The revolution of 3D printing and the dental sector:
opportunities, challenges and future applications" which took place on the 30th of November from
9:30 to 13:00 at the Leopold Hotel Brussels EU, rue du Luxembourg 35 in Brussels. The conference
has been co-hosted by the EFDD and the S&D groups and with the patronage of the Italian Dental
Association (AIO). Representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council
of the European Dentists (CED), European Federation of Dental industry (FIDE), and representatives
from several 3D printing and additive manufacturing companies will contribute to the discussion.
According to MEP Dario Tamburrano (EFDD) - main organiser of the event and a dentist himself –
“3D printing is not only the future but the present and what seems now impossible, could soon become
reality. Technological innovation needs to be closely monitored and politically addressed to avoid and
prevent dangerous applications as it happened with nuclear energy”. Furthermore, he also underlined
that “Skills development and education play a key role and young students need to be heard, specifically
when it comes to innovation. Advanced technologies need to be considered as to avoid the mistakes of
the industrial revolution, in order to achieve better income and wealth redistribution and a reduction in
working hours. It is fundamental in supporting the synergy between dentists and professional of dental
laboratories”.
Also MEP Patrizia Toia (SD) - co-host of the event and firm promoter of digital innovation - is convinced
that we are in front of a potential revolution which should be fostered and well-managed. "3D printing is
playing a key role in the development of the European and worldwide industry, also in terms of mass-
customization. H2020 is fundamental in supporting the development of innovative SMEs.”.
Jerzy Buzek, former president of the European Parliament and Prime Minister of Poland from 1997 to
2001, and present Chair of EP ITRE (industry, energy and research) committee expressed “the
importance of the role of SMEs also for the dental sector with concern to R&I and technologies
development. Innovation and economic development should grow together following a holistic
approach”. He also said, “all policies concerning health, SMEs development, technologies and
innovation, should be coordinated and allow an integration of the existing and future legal landscape
together with political and institutional frameworks”.
When: Wednesday 30th November09:30 – 13:00
Where: Leopold Hotel Brussels EU,
rue du Luxembourg 35,1050 Brussels
Interpretation: IT- EN
video event available on https://youtu.be/Nlf3oGE6ehE

2. Pierluigi Delogu - AIO President- stated, “3D printing is a new frontier for dentistry and it is fundamental
to avoid the mistakes of the past, when technologies have sometimes not been accurately tested. There
are three development ways to be explored on 3D printing in dentistry, to be summarized in the acronym
TRL, as follows: Training, Research and Laws. The development of the inter-disciplinary areas of
nanotechnology, advanced materials and material properties will soon require a number of new reference
measurement standards and methods in the physical as well the chemical fields. Processes and CE
certifications or materials and procedures should be taken in consideration as the coordination among
all related procedures and the reduction of bureaucracy".
The first and more institutional session focused on the relations between EU institutions, 3D printing
and the Medical and Dental sectors.
The opening remarks by the MEPs Dario Tamburrano and Patrizia Toia have been followed by the
address of Jerzy Buzek, chair of EP ITRE (industry, energy and research) committee. The key messages
from Marco Landi President of the Council of European Dentists (CED), Pierluigi Delogu, President of
the Italian Dental Association (AIO) and Alessandro Gamberini, President of the Federation of the
European Dental Industry (FIDE) completed the introduction.
The conference got into the full swing with the speeches of four representatives from the European
Commission. Colette Maloney, Head of Unit “Photonics” in DG CONNECT, who spoke about digital
innovation, while Tapani Piha, Head of Unit “Cross Border healthcare, E-Health” in DG SANTE,
intervened on how crucial is becoming digital innovation in the e-health sector. Salvatore Scalzo, Legal
Assistant for technology and cosmetics in DG GROW focused on the medical devices legislative
framework; Jose-Lorenzo Valles, Head of Unit “Advanced Manufacturing system and biotechnologies”
in DG RTD, addressed the audience outlining how Horizon2020 is supporting innovation and research
also in these topics.
The second session has been a roundtable discussion with several stakeholders titled “Challenges and
opportunities for 3D printing in the dental sector”. Giorgio Magistrelli, advisor on additive
manufacturing for the EFDD Group, moderated this session.
The panel has been composed by Peter Mercelis, co-founder and Director for Applied Technologies –
3D Systems (formerly LayerWise), Daniela Lavezzi, Sales Manager - DWS, Martin Bullemer -
Business Development Manager/in Medical - EOS, Philip Oris, Director Business Development Medical
& Dental - SLM Solutions, Eric Erickson, Dental Business Manager EMEA - Stratasys and Vittorio
Gaudino, General Manager - Sisma.
Recorded streaming (in Italian language) is available on this link: https://youtu.be/Nlf3oGE6ehE . English
Audio is available on http://www.efddgroup.eu/events/the-3d-printing-revolution-and-the-dental-sector
Speakers’ profiles and main interventions are attached.
Additive Manufacturing and the Dental Sector
The Medical and Dental sectors represent roughly the 13.1% of Additive Manufacturing usage (Wohlers, Report
2015, and p.21) and they are driven particularly by mass customisation and personalisation. AM offers the
possibility to simplify the production chain obtaining fully dense structures but with a level of microporosity that
improves the osseointegration of implants: tens of thousands of 3DP-fabricated metal implants are in fact produced
every year.
Invisalign dental braces and also crowns are among the most well-known 3D-printed products. Braces are
produced indirectly as the moulds are 3D-printed first and only later used to manufacture the braces themselves.
The main driver for 3D-printing application is its capability to allow for mass customisation. In fact, several millions
of moulds are printed every year and a similar approach is used for producing dental crowns, an application started
years ago with the production of dental restorations such as veneers, inlays, crowns and bridges using dental CAD-
CAM systems. The constantly decreasing costs of processing production, thanks also to the introduction of a new

3. range of digital intra-oral scanners, will ensure further developments in the sectors. Finally, it is expected that
additive processing of layered fabrication will start to be employed in the manufacture of prostheses, which is
currently dominated by subtractive machining technology.
# # #
For further media enquiries:
Dario Tamburrano - Press office dario.tamburrano@ep.europa.eu
Giorgio Magistrelli - Advisor additive manufacturing EFDD Group gmagistrelli@hotmail.com
/ 3dprinting.dentalsector@gmail.com