Disruptive Innovation in Dentistry: What It Is and What Could Be Next

Abstract

Dentistry is a technically oriented profession, and the health care sector is significantly influenced by the ubiquitous trend of digitalization. Some of these digital developments have the potential to result in disruptive changes for dental practice, while others may turn out to be just a pipedream. This Discovery! essay focuses on innovations built on artificial intelligence (AI) as the center-technology influencing 1) dental eHealth data management, 2) clinical and technical health care applications, and 3) services and operations. AI systems enable personalized dental medicine workflows by analyzing all eHealth data gathered from an individual patient. Besides dental-specific data, this also includes genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic information and therefore facilitates optimized and personalized treatment strategies and risk management. Based on the power of AI, the triangular frame of “data”/“health care”/“service” is supplemented by technological advancements in the field of social media, Internet of things, augmented and virtual reality, rapid prototyping, and intraoral optical scanning as well as teledentistry. Innovation continues to be critical to tackle dental problems until its routine implementation based on sound scientific evidence. Novel technologies must be viewed critically in relation to the cost-benefit ratio and the ethical implications of a misleading diagnosis or treatment produced by AI algorithms. Highly sensitive eHealth data must be handled responsibly to enable the immense benefits of these technologies to be realized for society. The focus on patient-centered research and the development of personalized dental medicine have the potential to improve individual and public health, as well as clarify the interconnectivity of disease in a more cost-effective way.

Knowledge and Associated Factors about Rare Diseases among Dentists in Israel: A Cross Sectional Survey

“…As evidenced by patients with both rare and chronic diseases, the importance of listening to their symptoms may aid in alleviating them [ 37 , 38 ], e.g., aiding in oro-motor dysfunction in patients with rare diseases with orofacial manifestation [ 28 ], and in improving their oral hygiene [ 39 ]. In addition, innovations in dental fields, e.g., via the utilization of artificial intelligence of different factors, such as genetic, proteomic and metabolic, may further expand capabilities of diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of those living with a rare disease with orofacial manifestation [ 40 ].…”

A Double-Blind Crossover RCT Analyzing Technical and Clinical Performance of Monolithic ZrO2 Implant Fixed Dental Prostheses (iFDP) in Three Different Digital Workflows

“…For the implementation of new workflows in clinical routine use, these must withstand the comparison with the established approach [ 18 ]. In general, the feasibility of a new therapy’s protocol is the minimal prerequisite; predictable and reproducible treatment outcomes are the key to become a serious alternative to the gold standard–or even to be disruptive enough to replace it [ 19 ]. The specific trial setting of the current study with a crossover design allowed direct comparisons of three different workflows for each study patient.…”

The Use and Performance of Artificial Intelligence in Prosthodontics: A Systematic Review

“…It is not surprising that more advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), are also finding increasing application in daily life. Generally speaking, AI imitates the cognitive processes of human intelligence by using machines and software-type algorithms to manage complex tasks [ 2 , 3 ].…”