Robert Nerone, DMD, is taking the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine to the front lines of digital dentistry. He believes it’s imperative to actively integrate digital tools across all clinical areas so students gain a thorough knowledge of cutting-edge technologies.
“Digital is becoming a huge part of the school,” he added. “Only a few other dental schools are doing this. Our new digital dentistry labs will put us in the top one percent of dental schools in the country.”
Developing Dedicated Space for Advanced Technology from the Ground Up
Dr. Nerone is fascinated by the capacity of digital tools to improve dental education and increase efficiencies and effectiveness in clinical care.
As an assistant professor and director of Chairside Digital Dentistry, he brings significant expertise to the role, based on the advanced technology he used in his 25-year dental practice and his research on acoustic technology.
“When I joined Pitt Dental Medicine, digital dentistry had a small imprint. About six years ago, I wanted to bring in more digital tools for computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM),” Dr. Nerone said.
Pitt Dental Medicine’s leadership team asked him to implement new clinic workflows using CEREC Omnicam intraoral scanners that capture 3D digital impressions of tooth preparation, milling units to carve the crown, and Speedfire ovens for the final prep.
“The scanners capture the preparations done in the clinic, and the CAD software allows students and their instructor to build a digital model using the scan. Once the digital model is made, the next step is to design the crown using the digital software,” he said. Finally, the crown may be made using a variety of milling, carving, or printing units.
“Before the new digital processes were introduced, we were creating only 25 to 32 CEREC crowns for our patients each year,” he recalled. “The next year, after adding the new digital component, we did 260 crowns, charging patients only a nominal fee. And it just keeps growing—we’re on pace to produce close to 800 crowns annually using the digital technology.”
Leading the Digital Dentistry Revolution
“Bob is a great person, just excellent to work with,” said Suvendra Vijayan, MS, MPH, BDS, a colleague in the digital dentistry program. “Our thought processes are the same. We’re both looking out for what is best for the students and the school. He’s fun and hardworking but if I have an issue, I know we can discuss it.”
In 2023, Drs. Nerone and Vijayan proposed that the school build three digital dentistry labs, which opened in the fall of 2025. “We identified space that was not being used for direct student instruction or patient care and suggested how it could be put to better use,” Dr. Nerone said.
Anthony Smith, director of Facilities and Operations at Pitt Dental Medicine, was instrumental in the conversion, working with Drs. Nerone and Vijayan to ensure a smooth process.
In the new labs, more students than previously will learn to scan teeth, create models using software, and mill or 3D print models. The labs give them expanded access to state-of-the-art equipment and more opportunities to perfect their skills. “The individual student’s scans are saved in their own student files, so it aids in learning and clinical care,” said Dr. Nerone.
One of the labs will give preclinical students a chance to learn all the aspects of digital dentistry before entering the clinic. Another will be used by predoctoral dental students in their third and fourth years for treating general dentistry practice patients. The third is for residents and faculty providing specialty patient care. The new dedicated lab spaces also will give the school a chance to streamline the curriculum, which already includes several digital dentistry courses.
Faculty Focus on Emerging Technology
In March 2025, Dr. Nerone spoke at the School of Dental Medicine’s T. F. Bowser Memorial Lecture: A Symposium on Emergent Innovations in Dentistry, a prestigious continuing education event. He shared his knowledge of the evolution of 3D and CAD/CAM technology and how it is continuing to develop with AI-driven intraoral scanning, real-time imaging, and cloud-based storage with practicing dentists who attended the event.
Using 3D images allows for more accurate diagnoses, streamlined treatment plans, and better fitting prostheses, Dr. Nerone explained, leading to more comfort and less anxiety for patients and more predictable results from providers.
A few courses are included in the regular curriculum, but Dr. Nerone would like to incorporate more of these technologies into the Pitt Dental Medicine curriculum so that students can use virtual simulations, augmented reality applications, and 3D visualizations in a classroom setting to help understand complex procedures. These tools allow students to work in a risk-free environment, practicing repeatedly until they feel sure of themselves. Familiarity with new dental software and tools may increase their confidence when they encounter new technology after graduation, furthering their careers.
During the April 2025 Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) review, visiting CODA teams were impressed by the plans for the new digital labs. “The CODA visitors said they wished that they could do what we are doing,” Dr. Nerone said. “They said we were doing great work.”
Dr. Nerone is among the two percent of dentists who have demonstrated their commitment to the field by earning a Fellowship and a Mastership from the Academy of General Dentistry.
“Of course, technology is going to change. We’ll need to upgrade every five years or so. But we have the basics and more easily can add more moving forward,” he said.
Dr. Nerone has lived through many stages of advancement in the field. “We used to build a model out of stone and grind it. We used self-curing composites, with a catalyst and a base, that cured on their own. Then, we went to light-cured composites. We’re now in a new generation of nanocomposites and nanohybrids, and the seventh or eighth generation of bonding agents. It will keep getting better and easier for patients and for dental providers,” he said.
“As we go forward, we’ll have new products to use for crowns. We will be able to 3D-print dentures, and temporary and permanent crowns,” he said. “I’d like to see more research on the materials side, and to improve the scans themselves. Competition will breed better research and development.”
Teaching Students Through Experience
Dr. Nerone was a University of Pittsburgh undergraduate student and received his DMD from the Pitt School of Dental Medicine in 1992. He stayed in touch with the school as an active member of the alumni association.
After 25 years of running a successful dental practice in Bethel Park, south of Pittsburgh, he approached Pitt Dental Medicine about becoming an instructor. Soon after, Dr. Nerone left his dental practice and now is an assistant professor at his alma mater.
Dentistry felt like a natural fit with his personality. “I’ve always been a person who had empathy and compassion. People energize me, and I wanted to help them. I’m actually kind of shy, but no one believes me when I say that,” he said. “I was thinking about a career in health care and had a family member who was a dentist.”
The Department of Restorative Dentistry and Comprehensive Care was happy to see him join the school as a part-time clinical instructor in 2016. Two years later, Dr. Nerone became a full-time assistant professor and now serves as the vice-chair of the department.
“In the early days of my practice, we used paper on a pegboard for scheduling, tracking, and billing. Eventually, it was all computerized,” he said.
It feels natural to pass on what I’ve learned over the years,” he said. “I was asked to reformat the practice management course with Dean Marnie Oakley and Dr. Sarah Grafton, my department chair. Particularly, about how it pertains to HIPAA, PHI, and OSHA—all the guidelines required by labor and health care.”
“We wanted first- and second-year students to learn about the breadth of skills needed to be a dentist—public speaking, office design, scheduling, conflict resolution, even maintaining a work–life balance,” he said.
Currently, Dr. Nerone is co-course director in three predoctoral courses and serves on the predoctoral admissions committee and Dean’s Council. He is the faculty advisor for the school’s American Student Dental Association (ASDA) chapter.
Dr. Nerone is among the two percent of dentists who have demonstrated their commitment to the field by earning a Fellowship and a Mastership from the Academy of General Dentistry.
Pass the Knowledge Along
Despite the appeal of new technology, Dr. Nerone remains focused on the practical needs of his students. He teaches them that working with patients can be difficult, and emphasizes the need for a calm, neutral chairside manner. “You need to keep your cool. You are the boss, you have the knowledge, you have to own the operatory. That way, when the storm is happening, when everything is going haywire, your staff and patients will trust you.
“Here, our students are part of a kind community, with faculty who teach with passion, both the science and the patient management skills,” Dr. Nerone said. “They get a good, basic knowledge of dentistry while they are here. When they graduate, they leave with a quiet confidence. Sometimes they don’t realize how well trained they are.
“The best part of my work here comes from interactions with the students,” he said. “Sometimes I feel more like a parent when I show them who I am, and explain that sometimes life and work are not easy, but I love what I’m doing.
“I love their energy, their wide-eyed search for knowledge as they try to understand,” he said. “Dentistry is a job, but you can enjoy it. I had to learn from my mistakes. I try to be very approachable, so they don’t make the same ones. I hope they are learning from me.”
By Alison Conte