When a single dental faculty sees more than 250,000 patient visits in a year — with projections pushing toward 300,000 — the equipment keeping that operation running isn't just a procurement decision. It's the backbone of an entire educational mission.
That's the reality at Necmettin Erbakan University's dental faculty in Konya, Turkey, where Dr. Hakan Yasin Gönder, Vice Dean and Chief Physician, oversees one of the country's highest-volume dental education clinics. And for more than a decade, the institution has built its clinical infrastructure around Planmeca.
A Partnership Built on Volume and Accountability
The university began working with Planmeca in 2014, and the relationship has deepened considerably since. Today, more than 200 Planmeca Compact™ i dental units are in active daily use — many of them the same units installed in those early years. That durability isn't incidental. It reflects a deliberate institutional requirement.
"When choosing a supplier, we had strict criteria: high product quality, reliability, ease of use, advanced technology, durability, and strong local service support," Dr. Gönder explained. "Planmeca met all of these criteria."
In a clinic where downtime is simply not an option, that track record matters. All units are connected to Planmeca Romexis® Clinic Management software, giving administrators real-time visibility into efficiency metrics, usage data, and maintenance scheduling — the kind of operational control that becomes critical when you're managing hundreds of chairs and thousands of patient interactions per week.
Training Tomorrow's Dentists on Today's Best Technology
The university admits approximately 100 new dental students annually, with around 500 undergraduates enrolled at any given time. Fourth- and fifth-year students complete more than 1,500 hours of hands-on clinical practice with real patients — an intensive, immersive model that demands equipment capable of supporting a wide range of clinical techniques.
The imaging infrastructure reflects that same commitment to quality. The faculty's setup includes the Planmeca Viso® G7 CBCT unit, multiple Planmeca ProMax® 2D systems, and several Planmeca ProX™ and ProScanner® 2.0 devices — all operating within the Planmeca Romexis® software ecosystem used by roughly 200 staff and students.
The Planmeca Solanna® Vision operating light — equipped with a 4K camera — has become a particularly versatile educational tool, enabling live streaming from operating rooms and supporting remote lectures and symposiums.
"They may not fully realize it," Dr. Gönder said of his students, "but they are privileged — they are learning with the best technology available."
Ergonomics as an Educational Philosophy
One detail worth noting for clinicians and practice owners evaluating operatory design: Dr. Gönder specifically highlights the ergonomic design of the units as a clinical training advantage. The floating chair concept accommodates clinicians of varying heights, reducing fatigue during long clinical days — an important consideration in an environment where students are still developing their physical workflows. Support for both two- and four-handed dentistry further expands the range of techniques students can practice.
On the patient side, the Ultra Relax™ upholstery has drawn positive feedback for reducing dental anxiety — a meaningful outcome in a high-volume academic setting where patient comfort can easily take a back seat to throughput demands.
What This Means for the Broader Dental Industry
The Necmettin Erbakan story is a useful case study for dental group practices, DSOs, and multi-operatory facilities evaluating long-term technology partnerships. The university's experience suggests that investing in higher-quality infrastructure up front — and committing to a cohesive technology ecosystem — pays dividends in operational reliability, staff satisfaction, and educational outcomes over years, not just quarters.
As dental education continues to evolve and clinical simulation technology advances, institutions that have already built scalable, integrated digital environments will be better positioned to adapt. Necmettin Erbakan University's decade-plus runway with Planmeca offers a compelling proof point.