Emerging Technologies, Education, and Governance in Latin American Dentistry: Perspectives from Venezuela and Nicaragua

Introduction and aims: This article aims to answer how emerging technologies, education, and governance can be strategically integrated to improve oral health in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). By focusing on Venezuela and Nicaragua, it identifies the structural gaps that must be addressed to unlock the full potential of these technologies. The authors argue that the thematic intersection proposed in this article remains underexplored, particularly in the LAC context, where further research is needed to combine critical analysis with context-specific approaches to public policy. Methods: This study employed a comparative case study based on a mixed-methods design with both descriptive and explanatory components, grounded in 2 epistemological stages. In the first stage, a qualitative approach was applied through documentary research drawing on primary and secondary sources. In the second stage, the authors conducted fieldwork using structured online surveys with dental professionals, including both practitioners and scholars. The online surveys focused on 4 dimensions within the field of dentistry: (1) knowledge and application of emerging digital technologies, (2) education, (3) governance, and (4) public policies. Results: The results combine qualitative analysis with descriptive statistics, enabling country-level comparisons. The findings show that the adoption of emerging technologies in LAC dentistry, especially in Venezuela and Nicaragua, faces significant transnational challenges, including cost, education and training, infrastructure limitations, and regulatory gaps. Addressing these issues would benefit from coordinated responses from governments, the private sector, universities, professional associations, and other stakeholders. A collaborative approach at both national and regional levels is therefore essential for advancing digital transformation in oral health across the region. Conclusion: Despite these challenges, a growing number of cases demonstrate the successful application of digital technologies, such as intraoral scanners (IOS), minimally invasive dentistry (MID), computer-aided design / computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM), and artificial intelligence (AI) applications in scanning, diagnosis, and treatment. These, however, remain isolated experiences rather than evidence of a fully integrated digital ecosystem. In this vein, policymakers should prioritize emerging technologies to ensure public policies that guarantee oral health for all. Clinical relevance: This study identifies system-level barriers to the clinical adoption of digital dentistry in Venezuela and Nicaragua and proposes actionable policies and institutional measures to enable the safe, effective, and equitable integration of IOS, CAD/CAM workflows, and AI-assisted diagnostics.