By Dr. Dheeraj Setia,
Founder, The Dental Roots
In last few decades, the world has witnessed humongous technological advancement which has the notable influence on every aspect of human life. Dental Health Care could also not remain virgin to this technological revolution. Smart Toothbrush, Virtual Reality, Augmented reality, Bio-printing Laser Technology etc have totally revolutionized the Dental Health Care Industry.
Today Smart toothbrush is not less than a personalized coach for your Dental Health. It can tell you about the perfect brushing technique suitable for your teeth and which part of your teeth should be brushed at which angle. All the information about your dental health is just one click away at your Dentist Cloud Computer.
Similarly, We are applying the virtual and augmented reality based technology to create a perfect and customized teeth model, especially in luxury dentistry. The Laser technology is being used for more precision and less invasive dental health care. The 3D Bio-printing is the dawn of the new age in Dental industry as it is more accurate, faster and economically viable with more patient satisfaction.
In this line, I believe the next big thing in dentistry will be Artificial Intelligence which I expect will change the Dental Industry like never before. The AI has a potential of Faster and personalized diagnosis, Streamlining communication between doctors and doctors-patients, accuracy, Quick analysis of patients’ test related information. Based on the analysis the AI platform can come out with most suitable alternatives for diagnosis for the patients.Like for an example –
IBM’s Watson platform is being used for cancer treatment. The Doctors put patients’ information which is analyzed by the software to generate the diagnosis for the patient. This entire process is so swift and quick which increases the effectiveness of the diagnosis and eliminate the chances of human error.
In Dentistry, Taking inspiration from IBM’s Watson platform, Dr.John kois has developed Evidentiae as comprehensive cloud-based software for Dental Health Care. Based on the provided information regarding patients It can provide a holistic dental overview of the patient. It develops an extensive diagnostic opinion for aesthetic concerns, biomechanical parameters, functional decision making and dentofacial alterations.
Now, let me tell you a hypothetical situation- Consider a situation, where you felt some dental issues in the night. By early Morning your smart toothbrush sends your dental information to your doctor’s computer where the artificially intelligent software analyses the data and generate a diagnosis plan which will be sent to you and your doctor. Based on that plan a meeting will be scheduled by the software itself without going through the cumbersome administrative procedure at the clinic. Now the most suitable plan will be applied. So, this is going to be the future of dentistry.
Apart from it , AI has potential to resolve the issue of time consumption, accessibility and economic viability.
But, this is not going to be that easy as it has to cross a number of the stumbling blocks. The awareness regarding artificial intelligence in dental industry is still at its nascent stage. The Industry leaders in dental healthcare except few like Heartland or Delta, others are still not sure, which is delaying the research and development process for AI-based machines in dentistry.
In the developing countries, the obstructed flow of technology and restrained investment in AI research is another major obstacle apart from the capital investment required at the initial stage. But in the last few years, there is an emphasis on research and innovation in India which has created a conducive ecosystem for development of AI in oral health Care.
Finally, I can say that considering the utilities and importance of the AI in Medical science, sooner or later it is going to occupy the core of Oral Health Care.