Modern tools and technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) have already transformed the medical landscape and soon this wave is going to hit the realm of dentistry. It’s anticipated that in the coming years this technology will completely change the way dentistry is performed.
Basically, AI is the art of training computers to perform complex tasks intelligently without human intervention. But how’s it revolutionizing the future of dentistry? Let’s explore it in the article.
How Is AI Applied In The Field Of Dentistry?
In the past few years, AI has made multiple efforts to become an integral weapon for dentists. It works on the principle of teaching machines how to analyze large data sets and to learn from them to come up with the appropriate diagnosis. Let’s have a look at five major ways in which AI is reshaping the future of oral health.
1. AI-Powered Tools That Can Interpret Dental CT Scans & Other Images
There are advanced AI solutions already available in the market that has the power to read dental CT scans and other relevant images. But shortly developers will build AI-powered tools that can analyze thousands of dental images stored in numerous patients’ databases and suggest the best possible diagnosis and treatment plan quickly.
VisualDx is a similar AI-powered system which medical staff such as nurse practitioners use to get an appropriate diagnosis by feeding the symptoms of the patients and their relevant images. Soon, this technology will pave its way into dentistry to build exclusive tools with which dentists can retrieve possible diagnosis.
2. Using AI For Improving The Efficiency Of Dental Industry
No one can ever forget IBM Watson which is a comprehensive platform for helping oncologists to treat patients suffering from cancer. The solution is extremely easy to use as the medical professional has to input the detailed diagnosis of a patient into it and wait for a while to get the best plausible treatment plan in accordance with the health-related data.
This tool is a boon for physicians because they can use it to identify key information in a patient’s medical record and explore the best plans for treatment. Also, IBM Watson has a plethora of information coming from medical journals and other sources which makes it even smarter.
Following the footsteps of the big blue giant, a renowned American dentist Dr. John Kois tried to create Evidential which is an AI-powered system for dentists. Basically, its cloud-based dental software with algorithms designed to dig up all the details (medical and dental) related to the patients and produce a full overview of the status of their oral health.
Evidential is believed to be the best companion to dentists as it also gives a precise diagnosis for dentofacial alterations and periodontal issues. Industry experts are working on the system to make it more efficient and advanced to streamline the tedious dental treatment.
Another innovative AI-powered tool is cephalometric analysis intelligent algorithm designed and developed by CephX which is a popular digital platform for orthodontic practitioners. This platform helps dentists to retrieve full cephalometric tracing and analysis of their patients by just uploading their scans.
Programmers have invested a lot of their time in improving the tool so that the dentists can get full and accurate analysis quickly. Today, it’s one of the best AI solutions for the dental industry.
Similarly, there are custom software development companies (e.g. https://www.elinext.com) that have a wealth of experience in developing custom software and AI-powered solutions for the dental sphere in accordance with the specific requirements of the clinical setups.
3. Seamless Reading Of Radiographs To Search For Caries
Dentists have to find caries on X-rays daily as it’s their one of the many routine tasks. But it’s anticipated that the human misdiagnosis rate of caries from X-rays may be higher than 20 percent and even the most experienced and skilled professionals make silly mistakes.
This issue is solved with the help of advanced AI-powered machines which can work without any human intervention so there is no chance of any bias or error. Also, these systems can work constantly without getting tired. It’s just that you have to train these programs properly to identify meaningful patterns and feed proper data sets in order to produce efficient and faster results.
4. Deep Learning: Emerging As A Modern Way Of Adding Value To Dentistry
Dentists are gradually switching to AI-powered platforms with deep learning capacity for the smooth detection of cavities. This technique works on the principle of deploying layered neural networks which are patterned on a human’s brain.
Moreover, deep learning has the potential to determine its own unique set of rules that automatically improves when more data is added to the system. It makes these deep learning tools powerful enough to infer unstructured data which is needed for more high-end apps such as recognition of disease, self-driving vehicles, identification and suggestion for treatment, the forecast of earthquakes, etc.
5. AI & Big Data Analytics Together Can Move Mountains For Dentists & Their Patients
Let’s imagine a person suddenly experiences a severe toothache. He went to the restroom and connected his smart brush with phone and placed it in the mouth. The tool started to monitor the status or the person’s oral health and also keep stocking up the scanned data in the cloud.
AI and Big Data analytics can evaluate the large chunks of data which wasn’t possible manually and found out that the person is suffering from a bad cavity. Also, the report is sent to the dentist automatically so that he can take further action.
Big data analytics and AI together can help dentists to provide their patients with more personalized dental care. Also, these technologies can easily evaluate the personal as well as demographic data of the patient to recognize which oral health issues reappear repetitively and help dentists to treat the problems effectively. Such systems will ultimately help in grabbing more patients and increase sales for dental practice.
6. AI Can Be Used To Create Healthcare Mobility Platforms For Dentistry
The combination of AI and mobility in healthcare can be one of the best ways to enhance the efficiency of dentists and helping them in providing patients with better care. There are virtual assistants such as smart bots and healthcare mobility solutions to optimize patient behavior while reducing risk.
AiCure is a popular one that uses AI to see, hear, and understand how patients are responding to treatment. Similarly, programmers can use this technology for app development so that to build products that dentists and patients can use to connect with each other for ensuring more effective diagnosis.
7. Teledentistry With AI To Reduce Overall Costs & Make Oral Health Accessible To One & All
It’s not necessary that people from remote areas can travel whenever they have any dental issues. This problem can be addressed with AI-powered telemedicine for dental solutions to help people in areas where there is no dentist. Also, these tools can let trained hygienists and assistants work under the guidance of experienced dentists and provide patients with more personalized dental care.
It’s not true that AI-powered tools will soon replace dentists but yes these solutions can enhance the capacity of dentists by providing them with the power to identify and treat dental problems in a hassle-free manner and hence improving the oral health of their patients.