Dental technicians: Bureaucracy endangers company succession

Dental technicians suffer from enormous bureaucracy. The documentation requirements for dentures alone are immense. This could discourage the younger generation from taking up the profession, master dental technician Dominik Kruchen knows from personal experience.

This article is part of the special topic Bureaucratic madness in the craft industry

When the first EU directive on medical devices was passed in the 90s, master dental technician Dominik Kruchen had an inkling of the wave of bureaucracy that would hit the industry. Five years ago, the latest Medical Devices Regulation came into force, and it's quite a challenge. Every single material used in dentures must be precisely documented by dental laboratories for each production run. In addition to the materials used, the employees involved and the equipment used must also be documented. 

Dominik Kruchen is President of the Association of German Dental Technicians' Guilds (VDZI) Photo: © VDZI

"We photograph each batch number and record them in a special program," says the President of the Association of German Dental Technicians' Guilds VDZIThis is intended to facilitate batch traceability. The strict EU directive is a result of the scandal surrounding defective breast implants.

The entrepreneur from Düsseldorf doubts whether this is comparable (Kruchen Dental Technology GmbH). "In my 30 years of professional experience, I have never experienced the need to trace the batch of a crown or bridge."

Another annoyance for dental laboratories is the "Clinical Evaluations for Custom Manufacturers". They would not add any value to healthcare. At a parliamentary evening of the health trades last November in Berlin, the association’s president asked health politicians to advocate for the withdrawal of "this nonsensical requirement for small businesses" to pronounce. 

Three out of ten employees take care of administrative tasks

Three members of his ten-person team are exclusively Administrative tasks Dominik Kruchen explains. It is not necessarily the regulations that bother Kruchen. Much of it is for safety and occupational health and safety. "But the Documentation requirements demonstrate a distrust of entrepreneurs."

From employee training and working hours to handling hazardous substances and waste disposal – everything has to be recorded. Her daughter, Linda Kruchen, is also a master dental technician. She doesn't yet know whether she'll take over the business one day. "She loves her work, but the administrative work puts her off."   

Survey on bureaucratic burden in the skilled trades 

The Central Association of German Crafts (ZDH) In 2023, the Chamber of Crafts and Skilled Crafts (CHS) conducted a survey on "Bureaucratic Burden in the Skilled Crafts Sector" together with the 53 Chambers of Crafts and Skilled Crafts. The results are clear: the bureaucratic burden is increasing and robbing skilled craftspeople of their time for their actual work.

74 percent of the participating craft businesses stated that the bureaucratic burden to be fulfilled has increased in the last five years. Healthcare businesses were particularly affected, with 94 percent reporting an increasing burden. followed by the food trades (bakers, butchers, confectioners, etc.) with 86 percent. These are the key survey results.

• For 74 percent of the participating craft businesses, the bureaucratic burden has increased over the last five years.

• Constant adjustments to new legal regulations are the greatest burden for 76 percent of craft businesses, followed by the effort required to fulfill proof and documentation obligations (54 percent).

• 58 percent of companies state that self-employment in the skilled trades is becoming increasingly unattractive due to the bureaucratic burden.

• 68 percent of craft businesses that communicate digitally with authorities perceive the digital exchange as a relief.

• However, 35 percent of companies do not communicate with authorities digitally. The main reason: the authorities' lack of digital communication channels.

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