A Cognitive Advancement Towards Future Dentistry

INTRODUCTION

What is smart? It is the presentation of quick witted intelligence. At present, every part and field of the world is striving to become smart, we humans are trying to develop technologies that will decrease the manpower required to carry out day to day works, dentistry is one amongst them.

Now imagine one day we head into our bathroom, switch on our smart toothbrush, and the minute we put it inside our mouth it scans the entire oral cavity, detects caries or fractured tooth or stains or halitosis or any lesion, analyzes it and uploads these finding onto cloud, which then stores and transfers it to the dentist and an appointment with the dentist is automatically texted to our cell phones. This is the beauty of Artificial Intelligence.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence (AI), also known as Computational Intelligence or machine learning, is a system’s ability to correctly interpret external data, to learn from such data, and to use that learning to achieve specific goals and tasks through flexible adaptation.

The things that have not been implemented yet is termed as AI. Once implemented it is no longer a part of AI known as AI Effect.

The Artificial Intelligence technologies have increased manifold in areas like Expert systems, Game development, Theorem-proving, Natural language interpretation, Recognition of images, and  Robotics in various fields like telecommunication and aerospace. The metamorphosis of technology to AI has begun in the medical and dental field over the last decade.

SIGNIFICANCE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN DENTISTRY

Presently, AI is used as a Virtual assistant or voice-controlled software. In the future, it will perform numerous tasks more meticulously, effortlessly, and with fewer errors, which may include

• It can work for 24 hours at a stretch without a break
• They are faster than human counterparts
• They are not biased because they depend on the data provided and are not emotional
• Scheduling dental appointments according to the convenience of the patient as well as the dentist
• Detecting any genetic or lifestyle change in the patient and alerting them, e.g., Periodontal tissue scan for diabetic patients and oral cancer screening for those who have the habit of smoking and/or tobacco chewing.
• Devise a virtual database of patients with detailed particulars and past medical as well as dental histories.
• Organise and manage paperwork.
• Aiding in the differential diagnosis and treatment planning
• Regularly reminding and counselling patients with smoking or tobacco chewing habits etc.
• Rendering tele-assistance in cases of dental crisis, eliminating the immediate requirement of a dental professional on that spot.

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RECENT DENTAL APPLICATIONS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

1)In Dental Education: 

-It makes the use of augmented reality and virtual reality, where it simulates a clinical dental situation in which trainees can practice.

-Amalgamation of artificial intelligence in computer tutoring systems like in the  Unified  Medical Language  System  (UMLS);  there is a huge improvement in student’s quality of work due to feedback that the pre-clinical virtual patient/phantoms provides the students,  without requiring intervention from a human teacher allowing students to be self- competent developing skill at a faster rate than with the traditional simulator units.

  2)  DEXvoice: Hands Free Software. It is a modified version of DEXIS imaging software, allowing dentists to use Amazon Alexa-enabled voice activation to their dental workflow. The dentist uses their voice while operating to capture, show, compare, take, and display images. No degloving, no typing, no touching is required; the dentist simply speaks -Alexa, ask My Helper to show the OPG of the patient, and suddenly the images of OPG appear on screen.

3) Digital Impressions: It  laser optical focal scanning by voice commands to replicate each surface in different angulations projecting a 3-D image which is then sent to a dental lab. This provides accurate fitting restorations unlike conventional impressions, decreasing chair side time as well as patient gag and discomfort. The virtual image produced can be accessed as and when needed.

4) Smart Toothbrush: Recent advancements in toothbrushes include Bluetooth-enabled toothbrush that collects data about the individual’s brushing habits, the brushing technique used, duration of brushing, areas covered etc. It is then connected to an app aiding in self-assessment. It can store history to keep track on the oral hygiene routines. Examples are the Ara Toothbrush by Kolibree and the Oral-B Smart Series Electric Toothbrush White 6000.

5) Dental Robots: A Miami-based company, Neocis, was declared FDA-cleared to implant a robot assistant named Yomi. It relies on a CT scan to analyze the bone thickness, width, height, and orientation of the implant plan and the treatment procedure. It helps by guiding the dentist to where the implant should be placed, and if the dentist goes wrong, they can feel the resistance. It is therefore minimally invasive and can be used as an alternative to surgical guides, minimizing the obstruction of the operating field.

FUTURE MUTATIONS

Due to its Deep Learning mechanism, AI is an ongoing process and therefore in the future we will have a much evolved versions of AI in dentistry.

1)Dx Vision:  A new innovation by Dentem that would soon analyze problems within images, detecting dental caries, suggesting treatment plans, and even preventing dormant problems from occurring.

2)Dental Tele Assistance: Tele assistance is a persistent field in this 4G era employed by video conferencing to obscure areas where the dentist cannot be available immediately, and nurses, pharmacists, etc will deliver the emergency treatment. Incorporation of AI with tele dentistry will help with quality diagnosis, suggesting treatments, and can help the elderly/handicapped who cannot visit the dentist. For example, a periodontist can make use of a teleprobe that can be connected to the computer to assess the pocket depths while videoconferencing. It will act as an antidote to physician burnout.

3) Nanorobots: Tiny robots can be implanted into the human body and will work at the cellular/molecular level. It can be utilised for precise local drug delivery. A colloidal suspension of analgesic-infused petite robots can be used to produce anaesthesia.

 It can recognise bacteria, viruses, and DN,A helping with the diagnosis of oral cancer and diabetes mellitus. It can be programmed to penetrate neoplastic lesions, spot mutated cells and demolish them, can seal teeth with exposed dentinal tubes with desensitizing agents.

4) Smart Dental Chairs:

In future, the AI machines will have their own voice to communicate; the present example is Alexa, Siri. The moment a patient sits, the AI transformed dental chair will scan and be able to analyse data, genetic information, body functions and will provide the best treatment options.

5) Bio printing: Using machine learning, 3D printer technology can be advanced to a level where it can generate living tissues to assist in the surgical procedures in healthcare. For this to be successful, the exact algorithm has to be found out. Here machine uses cells as ink, which are stacked, as layers between soft polymers like the hydrogels, till the tissue is constructed. Biomaterials used include collagen, alginate, human adipose stem cells, hyaluronic acid, etc.  Bio printing has advanced bone tissue engineering and can be used as a scaffold in periodontal regenerative procedures. Along with this it can be used in Root Canal Procedures to regenerate the neurovascular plexus of the pulp rather than removing the pulp.