Bruno Affentranger: “The potential for good service in the field of oral health is enormous.”

The World Health Organization’s Global Oral Health Action Plan for 2023 to 2030 is going to change the landscape of dentistry. How? Bruno Affentranger, strategist and Head of the communications department at Curaden, has the answer.

Dentists, dental hygienists and specialists in the field of oral health: we have good news for you, and we have bad news for you. We are delivering this news at a moment when the deep change in the oral health industry is palpable. We are all witnessing a turning point. And we are all affected.

Why are we at a turning point? The WHO’s Global Oral Health Action Plan for 2023 to 2030 marks the first time that the organization has given oral health the same importance as systemic diseases. It speaks equally of treatment and prevention, which is also a first. It also outlines the challenges and possibilities of future oral healthcare.

This brings us to the news. The bad first: your business will likely change dramatically in the coming decade. While some aspects of your work will remain, others will be completely changed or even replaced. You will have to say goodbye to cherished securities and an existing business with margins. This farewell is not easy for anyone. And it is unsettling, because at first it is not clear for every single player in the industry what will come afterwards.

But cheer up. The good news is that, as always, there is a future. Those who recognise the signs of the times today and already anticipate them will be among the winners tomorrow. At least among those who can continue to pursue their business with satisfaction and do good for their customers – for us humans.

We can already see where the road leads. The market is going to grow spectacularly. The potential for good service in the field of oral health is enormous. But first you have to recognise it, you have to prepare yourself appropriately and you should embrace it as soon as possible.