A robot dentist sounds ideal for a comedy. The Jetsonsstyle Cartoonish, but it could become a reality sooner than you think. AI dental technology developer Perceptive has revealed that one of its AI-powered robots has completed a dental procedure on a human without supervision.
Perceptive’s robotic dentistry system combines AI-powered 3D imaging with a specialized robotic arm designed for restorative dental procedures. Perceptive built the system over several years to match and even surpass the speed and accuracy of human dentists, with the goal of reducing chair time.
Perceptive’s AI can measure and analyze information about a patient to help diagnose problems and propose treatment. Perceptive’s handheld intraoral scanner creates 3D images of a patient’s teeth and mouth, and can even look beneath the surface of a tooth. Perceptive’s AI algorithms analyze the data to create a treatment plan that the robotic arm can complete. For now, the automated procedures the robot can handle focus on restorative dental treatment, such as crowns. The company boasts that the entire process can be completed in as little as 15 minutes. By comparison, manually placing a crown typically takes at least two one-hour sessions.
“We are excited to successfully complete the world’s first fully automated robotic dental procedure,” said Dr. Chris Ciriello, CEO of Perceptive, in a statement. “This medical advancement improves the accuracy and efficiency of dental procedures and democratizes access to better dental care, to improve patient experience and clinical outcomes. We look forward to advancing our system and pioneering scalable, fully automated dental care solutions for patients.”
Tooth fairy with artificial intelligence?
The implications of AI-powered dentistry are potentially huge. Automating diagnostic and treatment processes and completing procedures at that speed means not only a better experience for patients, but also an opportunity for many more people to have their dental needs addressed than would be possible today.
At first, the public will be wary. However, if the AI-robot combination proves consistently successful, it could become even more common than other computer-assisted medical procedures, such as computer-programmed lasers to perform certain eye surgeries. In fact, the use of AI and robotics will likely minimize the chance of human error, a common concern in manual dental procedures.
The precision of the robotic arm, guided by the AI-powered treatment plan, ensures that procedures are executed with a level of accuracy that is difficult to achieve with human hands alone. Having a well-functioning robot is also a boon for the dental profession. The AI-powered robot could take over many of the more routine procedures that still require a lot of effort from a human perspective. That gives the human dentist more time and energy to focus on the more complex and difficult cases that AI couldn’t be trusted to tackle.
However, widespread adoption won't be quick. Equipment and training costs, not to mention regulatory hurdles, will likely put some obstacles in the way of you being able to see a robot dentist. That said, a successful, fully automated dental procedure is a clear indication of the direction the industry is taking. As AI and robotics continue to evolve, we're likely to see further advancements in the automation of dental care.
