Artificial intelligence (AI) is very quickly growing in healthcare, including within dentistry. This has led to a number of significant innovations in recent years, and the implementation of AI-driven technology across the profession. In dental implantology, it is important that clinicians understand the current and potential future uses of AI in the field and the ways in which these might support or elevate their current workflows.
Clinical applications of AI
Diagnosis and treatment planning
While AI facilitates enhanced workflows, helping to improve and speed up existing processes in the practice, it should not act as a substitute for the work of clinicians. Increasingly, practices across the UK are implementing AI-driven tools to support practitioners in diagnostics and treatment planning in various areas of the profession. AI has been used to analyse radiographs, assess images for pathologies and pre-existing restorations, and in treatment planning to help enhance predictability. Machine learning and deep learning, two types of AI, are very useful in these areas, assisting clinicians in diagnosis, decision-making, predicting treatment outcomes, and treatment planning. Furthermore, with 3D imaging systems such as CBCTs becoming more widely available, AI-assisted diagnosis and treatment planning are becoming increasingly accessible, too.
Prediction of treatment outcomes
Particularly in the field of dental implantology, which is regarded by many as a litigious area, the need for predictable treatment outcomes is essential for patient satisfaction. As dental implants continue to be the preferred option for replacing missing teeth, it is becoming increasingly important to minimise the risk of complications – and the additional time and costs associated with this. It can be difficult to predict implant loss or complications due to the wide-ranging risk factors associated with the treatment type. Practitioners’ knowledge and experience are relied upon here, allowing for a certain degree of human error. This area would hugely benefit from a reliable AI risk-assessment tool.
Robotic implant surgery
Whilst this may still feel like a futuristic prospect to many, the advancement of AI may mean that robotic dentistry, including in the field of implant dentistry, becomes more commonplace in the years to come.
Currently, it is expected that clinicians will still plan treatment and oversee the surgery – enabling them to intervene if necessary – however, surgical workflows of the future may be heavily supported by AI.
Research and development in dental implantology
Optimised implant designs
In the future, AI may have an impact on research and development. In the field of dental implantology, this may mean that AI models are used to optimise dental implant design. This could focus on the mechanical behaviour of dental implants, with an aim to optimise the concentration of stress at the implant-bone interface. Ideally, this progress would result in more predictable treatments, and increased implant survival rates.
Perfect prostheses
Whilst current processes for producing prostheses have reached incredibly high standards, AI may have the potential to make further improvements. Research suggests that, as patient expectations are becoming ever higher, the use of AI may help clinicians improve the standard of care they can offer. Within prosthodontics specifically, this might mean improved decision-making and more intuitive manufacturing processes. The integration of AI with CAD/CAM technology, in particular, may prove extremely useful in dental prosthesis workflows, enabling clinicians and dental technicians to save time, keep down costs, and reduce the risk of errors in the final prosthesis.
Enhanced efficiency and patient care
Record keeping
To keep an accurate record of dental appointments. Clinicians must ensure that their notes are complete and contemporaneous. This can be an incredibly time-consuming task, and one which many dental professionals will agree is challenging – particularly in the litigious field of implant dentistry. It is incredibly important to ensure all aspects of consultations and treatments are recorded in the clinical notes, both to protect yourself, for you and your colleagues’ future reference, and to ensure that patients are receiving the most appropriate care for them. As such, it can be useful to utilise AI-driven digital platforms which improve the process, without compromising the quality and personal aspect of the notes.
Association of Dental Implantology (ADI) members gain access to a specifically designed ADI template on Kiroku, the AI-powered digital note-taking system, as part of their membership. The ADI works to uphold standards in the field, with a wide-reaching educational offering to ensure that clinicians stay up-to-date on all the latest developments in the field. Furthermore, the ADI understands the day-to-day challenges faced by clinicians who provide dental implants, which is why it offers its members access to Kiroku to help improve their workflows and enhance the care they provide their patients.
While strides are being made in AI-supported dentistry every day, clinicians must maintain high standards of patient care and stay up to date with the latest advancements. Becoming part of a supportive and education-focused group can be incredibly helpful when aiming to achieve best practice.
References available on request.