Digital dentistry started in the 1980s. But according to Dr Wolf-Dieter Perlitz, we’re now entering something entirely new: the era of connected dentistry.
In this episode of The Dental Practitioner, host Dr Dominic Aouad sits down with Wolf-Dieter — Head of DS Core Product Management at Dentsply Sirona — to unpack what that means for dentists right now and over the next decade.
With a background in engineering and health economics, Wolf-Dieter brings a rare perspective to the conversation: one that balances the technical reality of cloud computing and AI with the practical business case for adoption in everyday practice.
They cover the three pillars driving connected dentistry — growth, efficiency, and outcome — and discuss how DS Core acts as a single platform to connect equipment, labs, patients, and clinical workflows. Wolf-Dieter also reflects on 40 years of CEREC, the patient-first mission that started it all, and why the dentists who adopt cloud technology earlier will have the longest runway for the innovations still to come.
Topics covered: what connected dentistry means and why it’s distinct from digital dentistry, DS Core as a cloud-native platform, AI applications in clinical workflows, integration with third-party equipment and labs, the business case for cloud adoption, cybersecurity, the CEREC origin story, and what the next 40 years of innovation look like.
Interviewer(s): Dr Dominic Aouad
Interviewee(s): Dr Wolf-Dieter Perlitz
Related Course/Event/Links: Dentsply Sirona
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