Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Dentistry A Brief Review

By Andrew J. Corsaro, D.M.D., M.S., F.A.C.D.

There have been many developments in dentistry related to materials, techniques, office and patient management and education. Regardless of these improvements, further development will ultimately result in diminishing returns to the advancement of the profession due to a single limiting factor: the human dentist. Many talented professionals are able to balance hectic schedules, complex cases, staff concerns, financial issues and the myriad of other challenges dentists face on a daily basis. These mental gymnastics cannot overcome the barriers of only treating one patient at a time, looking at one chart at a time and being in one place at a time. This inability to multiply will always be a limiting factor in the advancement of dentistry in spite of the forever evolving motif of our practice.

The field of artificial intelligence (AI) has experienced tremendous growth throughout health care. Recently, the University of Florida and tech giant NVIDIA announced a $70 million partnership aimed at advancement of AI research and application. The UF College of Dentistry will be participating in this partnership through the addition of faculty and facilities to explore how AI will contribute to the field of dentistry. Dental AI has tremendous potential to make a large, lasting impact on access to dental care, success of dental treatment and financial efficiency.

Diagnosis and treatment planning of dental pathology are the first hurdles to overcome in the delivery of dental care on a large scale in underserved areas. Emerging AI models have been able to accurately diagnose dental caries and other dental pathology, without human input, based on data that do not need to be collected by a dentist such as radiographs, photographs and saliva samples. While there is much work to be done to develop this ability to a point where it can reliably diagnose oral pathology to the current standard of care, these observations have proven to be very promising. Diagnosis, triage and treatment planning on a large scale have traditionally been very labor-intensive practices for a dentist, relying on physical presence and the necessity to review patient data individually. Communities with large populations (i.e. schools, military, rural or underserved areas) could benefit greatly by using AI to predict the resources necessary to deliver care by first identifying the extent of the problem without the presence of a dentist. Dental care could then be delivered on a much more efficient and cost-effective basis, improving access to care.

Telehealth, including teledentistry, saw a drastic increase in utilization as a result of quarantine and isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The limiting factor in the efficient deployment of teledental services was again the availability of the dentist. Inquisitive patients often seek advice or information prior to visiting a dental office and frequently have questions or concerns that could be addressed by dental AI. AI in healthcare has proven to be effective in reading and analyzing patient charts to identify trends. This could be used by patients to help answer questions and provide guidance of when and how to seek dental care. Patients would arrive at the dental office better educated and prepared for dental treatment.

There are dozens of other impressive advancements in the field of dental AI that will help dentists of the future treat patients more efficiently and effectively. Research and application partnerships — such as that between UF and NVIDIA — are likely to be the driving forces behind development until industry takes over, at which point these applications will scale to become the standard of care. There are many great resources including academic publications, conferences and presentations emerging at all levels of organized dentistry should you choose to explore this topic further.