Who needs the Metaverse when we can visit the Dentaverse?

  Posted by: Dental Design      25th June 2023

You may have already heard of the Metaverse – Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg’s new idea that has the potential to revolutionise social media, and life as we know it. Set to be an immersive universe where people can eventually work, shop and fulfil a number of real-life duties and hobbies, the Metaverse is certainly something we should be keeping an eye on. However, did you know that there’s a similar experience already available, and, even better, that it’s tailored towards dentists?

It’s time for us to step into the Dentaverse.

Based on Web3 technologies, this online platform is designed to act as a virtual meeting point for the global dental community, enabling clinicians to meet and discuss the latest research, products and procedures without having to leave their homes. People will be able to create and host events, tailoring content to appeal to certain demographics and share knowledge in virtual meeting spaces. They can even create virtual workshops and potentially deliver training exercises in the future.

So, effectively, logging into the Dentaverse would be like attending a real-life show without any of the hassle. No transport costs, no hotel rooms, no overpriced sandwiches or potentially dubious catered food, but with the added benefit of the chance for more people to attend, more diversity, more opinions. Arguably a positive experience all round then. I definitely think it opens the door to some interesting new styles of learning, as well as creating a space that could very well revolutionise how we earn CPD, network and strive towards our career goals.

However, I can’t help but feel there are downsides to this technology too. Part of the joy of attending shows and training courses is the real-life interaction and the experiences we have along the way. If we distil this experience into logging onto a computer, will we be missing an essential part of what makes our industry so wonderful – the fun? What’s to stop these virtual meetings being monetised and requiring an attendance fee that’s just as much as a ticket to an in-person show? I think part of what we pay for currently is the knowledge that once the learning is done, new contacts are met and our CPD is earned, there’s always the opportunity to let our hair down a bit and catch up with people we don’t see very often. This is hardly an experience able to be emulated by virtual reality, or by turning a computer off post conference.

I do think there’s space for the Dentaverse – in a lot of ways it’s a very positive thing, and we’ve all had meetings or attended training courses which would arguably have benefitted from being a short, online session. But I think the perfect world still has space for real-life meetings, laughter and networking in a more organic way.

I’m intrigued by the Dentaverse, but it’s not a one-stop solution for everything. Time will tell whether this platform flourishes and evolves or quickly becomes irrelevant, but either way it’s definitely something we should be keeping tabs on.

For further information please call EndoCare on 020 7224 0999

Or visit www.endocare.co.uk

EndoCare, led by Dr Michael Sultan, is one of the UK’s most trusted Specialist Endodontist practices. Through the use of the latest technologies and techniques, the highly-trained team can offer exceptional standards of care – always putting the patient first. What’s more, EndoCare is a dependable referral centre, to which dentists from across the country send their patients for the best in specialist endodontic treatment.