Dr. Marta Revilla-Léon
When Francesco asked me to do an atypical, albeit humorous at times interview with a member of the DDS hierarchy, it seemed appropriate to interview someone I’d never met. After a period of due diligence, the clouds parted, and Marta Revilla-León jumped out as the obvious choice. This would not be a tradition- al Q&A interview, more of a Vanity Fair article a la Dominic Dunne, to better do justice to the scope of Mar- ta’s journey through dentistry, her sweeping accomplishments to date and all that awaits.
To precis her curriculum vitae was arduous however, here goes. She received her PhD at the Adademisch Centrum Tandheelkunde University in Amsterdam (ACTA), MSD in Prosthodontics from the University of Washington in Seattle where she is now Affiliate faculty. Her MS in Esthetic Dentistry is from Complutense, Madrid being her adopted home. She is Faculty and Director of Research and Digital Dentistry at the Kois Center, affiliate faculty in the Graduate Prosthodontic Program at Tufts, and former Assistant Program Director AEGD Texas A&M (Go Aggies). This list also includes 160 articles published in peer-reviewed high impact journals in the past four years. Time to take a breath.
The questions about knowing the words to the the Aggies fight song, which of the FC Barcelona (where she was born) or Real Madrid superstars she would have chosen for the posters on her bedroom walls as a teenager all fell flat as football was not of interest save the Spanish victory in the 2024 FIFA Women’s World Cup. But the question about where she would fly with the air miles accrued from her endless travels hit paydirt. “Ja- pan!”
As a self-professed foodie, she want- ed to eat at Sukiyabashi Jiro (documentary “Jiro dreams of sushi” is one of her recommendations), a 10 seat three-star Michelin sushi restaurant in Tokyo located in a subway station in the Ginza, owned by Jiro Ono, a renowned 90-year-old chef. When asked why, she said because he had spent his life repeating and repeating and repeating his techniques in the pursuit of excellence which certainly explained a lot. She shared a quote from John Kois which best puts this into context, “art is something we can’t reproduce, science is reproducible”. Your techniques and your ideas can therefore be reproduced and taught” she said, a profound de- scription of the philosophy of the Kois Center. As an aside, she misses the ham, the red wines, and the cheeses of Spain, something to consider as Christmas approaches.
Marta’s family, inclusive of her “esposo”, are psychologists and engineers. While she professes to be the black sheep because of her career choice, the more you listen to her description of her work ethic, it is a function of her family and all the people she works with around the world. “You become a product of your experienc- es, you have to work and work and work, but also build a network” she says. More importantly, she recog- nizes that family comes first, going home is where her heart is.
“Art is something we can’t reproduce, science is reproducible. Your techniques and your ideas can therefore be reproduced and taught.”
In contrast to the lecture theaters and research facilities of her day job, her downtime is spent with her husband and her chocolate Labrador retriever all of whom love to hike, and trail run in the mountains outside of Seattle.
Despite her intense work schedule, she says the theme song to her life and her work is a collaboration between the husband-and-wife team Ana Bel- en and Victor Manuel entitled, “Hoy puede ser un gran dia”, today could be a great day.” This coming from a woman whose favorite movie is the first Godfather, “because you always need a godfather in your life.”
Our discussion about the future of dentistry in the realm of Artificial Intelligence, began with referencing the perfection of the Kardashians. the avatars of reality television. She feels that the benefits of digital manipulation and modification will come through enhanced integration with other specialities, patient communication, and treatment simulation, but the coin toss could be the creation of false expectations as an ethical challenge. “You can try to make a simulation for everyone”, she says, but the fundamentals are not always in balance with the tools available. “Technology is a tool; it will change the efficiency and outcomes of treatment as it is no longer analogue versus digital, it is digital evolution.”
“You don’t want to build something where a dentist would be trained for yesterday, but for where we are and where we are going to be.”
The future of patient care is undeniably digital. When harnessed in the right way, technology can provide a seamless experience and a workflow that integrates and connects all users, from doctors to dental labs to patients.
Digital technology can empower patients, improving their overall experience and arming them with more information. This gives them great- er control over decisions about their treatment. Ultimately, to attract and retain this new generation of consumers, dental practitioners need to start adapting their practices and embracing digital technology. It takes time to optimise processes, identify the right technologies and educate patients. With many members of Generation Alpha about to begin orthodontic treatment, there is no better time than now to choose digital dentistry solutions.
It was interesting to hear Marta talk about John Kois, her titular boss. They both want to enable and empower motivated dentists to achieve extraordinary levels by creating alumni imbued with knowledge and application skills in restorative dentistry.”
“It is no longer analogue versus digital, it is digital evolution.”
It seemed appropriate as the interview ended to provide Marta the chance to dream of her own centre. To the question, what if Antoni Gaudí had not been run over by a train, if Elon Musk handed you a blank cheque, what would a perfect dental school look like, Marta’s response was that “you don’t want to build something where a dentist would be trained for yesterday, but for where we are and where we are going to be.” This grasp of the central tenet, whether it be family, or the need to create a curriculum like the rungs of a ladder resonated throughout the interview. “It would a Cathedral of Technology”, she said. Vaulted ceilings like an opera house, glass walls so that everything and everyone was visually integrated, the ability to communicate unfettered, and the access to the tools of technology would be unlimited.
Marta will be at the Chicago mid-winter meeting in February 2024. I can’t wait to bring her Serrano ham, a bottle of Ribeira del Duero, and a wheel of Manchego cheese and continue our conversation. By then, additive technologies, augmented reality, nanorobotics and new innovations in 3D printed bone will be where we pick up the discussion.
SOURCES
1) McCrindle, M. and Fell, A. (2020). GENERATION ALPHA. [online] Available at: https:// generationalpha.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Understanding-Generation-Alpha- McCrindle.pdf.
2) Nellis, J. (2017). What does the future hold for Generation Alpha? [online] www.cranfield. ac.uk. Available at: https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/som/thought-leadership-list/what-does-the- future-hold-for-generation-alpha.
3) Trifonova, V. (2022). 4 insights on Gen Alpha: how their online behaviors are changing. [online] GWI. Available at: https://blog.gwi.com/trends/4-insights-on-gen-alpha/
4) *Based on an in-app survey from users (n=1344) of the My Invisalign app in the US, Canada, Brazil, Colombia and Chile. Data on File at Align Technology, as of March 23, 2021.