Digital Technology Changing the Game for Military Labs

By Laurel Carbonneau

Posted Oct 19, 2023 in Digital Dentistry

The Navy’s San Diego Area Dental Lab is one of the largest dental labs in the military, a full service operation with six enlisted and 19 civilian technicians on staff. It started using digital technology about four years ago and now receives 40% of its cases digitally from military dental clinics and labs, and fabricates nearly 100% of its work using CAD/CAM technology.


Like all military labs, Area Dental Lab’s transition to digital technology has been slow, hindered by inadequate funding and concerns about cybersecurity. That is changing as a result of the formation of the Defense Health Agency (DHA) in 2013. Charged with managing and organizing the healthcare programs and services of all branches of the U.S. military, the DHA worked to establish safeguards to protect military computer systems from cyberattacks and is providing ongoing funding for digital technology.


It also coordinated the different branches of the military, making it possible...

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About The Author

  • Laurel Carbonneau

    Associate Editor at LMT Communications, Inc. · Bethlehem, CT

    With an eye for detail and exceptional proofreading skills, Laurel, a 11-year veteran of LMT, edits numerous sections of the magazine, writes feature articles and is our editorial webmaster.

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