In the meantime, the topic of digitisation has assumed a very significant role in dental medicine and technology. Terms such as "Industry 4.0" or "Internet of Things" are used at almost inflationary rates even though their meanings are not always communicated clearly. For the working environment this fourth industrial revolution involves an enormous challenge and, when transferred to dental medicine and technology, Industry 4.0 refers not so much to the introduction of digitisation which has already been going on for several decades, but rather the intelligent linking of individual digital steps to form a complete working process far beyond stand-alone digital solutions. For almost two decades dental technology has been undergoing digital transformation and many parts have changed fundamentally. On the one hand, this upheaval is an enormous challenge but, on the other hand, it offers huge opportunities which can enhance the status of the profession considerably due to gaining digital competency.