Abstract
Introduction:
The world has been transformed after invention of robotics, digitalization, and artificial intelligence. Their application in the medical field is well recorded; however, their application in dentistry is still being recognized. Hence, in our study, we aimed to analyze the advances in research trends in the digital and the robotics specifically to the dental fields.
Material and Methods:
We conducted a search for articles that recorded the use of robots, digitalization, and artificial intelligence in dentistry, specifically in endodontics. We piloted a questionnaire study to evaluate the awareness and application of these technologies by the clinicians. The results are presented as various applications of these technologies and the number of the articles for various terminologies. The application of these technologies was compared between the clinicians using ANOVA, with P < 0.05 being significant.
Results:
We observed a significant difference between the clinicians regarding the application of these technologies and lower awareness was noted. None of the participants used these technologies in practice. Of the total 20 articles that we had finalized, we observed that these technologies helped in studying the various pathologies and structures that were unviewed previously, as well as treatments, prognosis, and outcomes.
Conclusions:
There is a low awareness of these advanced technologies and application in routine practice. These technologies show greater precision and accuracy. However, the application of these in daily clinical practice and the economy are to be evaluated.
KEYWORDS: Artificial Intelligence, dental, digital, robotics
INTRODUCTION
The world has undergone digital transformation after the internet and the availability of the smart devices. Technology has transformed various fields like architecture, data management, and banking. From manufacturing to the medical field, robotics is taking charge of various tasks.[1,2] Application of artificial intelligence is essential for decision-making, critical thinking, and desicion making like human. These technologies together have improved the quality of life as well as attained success in all sectors including medical and pharmaceutical fields.[3,4,5,6,7] However their application in dentistry is still being recognized. Hence, in our study, we aimed to analyze the advances in research trends in the digital and robotics technologies, specifically relating to the dental fields.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
We piloted a questionnaire-based survey using Google Forms, distributing it among 50 dentists to evaluate the awareness of the digitalization, artificial intelligence, and robotics. We also enquired if they used these applications in their practice. A total of 5 questions were constructed for the test. We also conducted a literature search for articles that applied these technologies in dentistry, specifically in the field of endodontics. The key terms searched were digital, robotics, dental, and artificial intelligence. The procedures that were considered were root canal system morphology, periapical pathologies, trauma, biomechanical preparations, outcomes after Root Canal Treatment (RCT), and prognosis. Data was collected and compared using the IBM SPSS version 20, and ANOVA test was applied, with P < 0.05 being considered as significant.
RESULTS
We narrowed down to 20 articles that discussed the application of these technologies in the endodontics.
Out of these selected articles root canal system morphology, periapical pathologies, trauma, biomechanical preparations, outcomes after RCT, and prognosis were discussed in 2, 3, 5, 6, 2 and 2 articles respectively [Table 1].
Table 1.
Collection of studies for the various technologies
| Criteria | Number of articles |
|---|---|
| Root canal system morphology | 2 |
| Periapical pathologies | 3 |
| Trauma | 5 |
| Biomechanical preparations | 6 |
| Outcomes after RCT | 2 |
| Prognosis | 2 |
When the awareness was analyzed, we observed that there was a significant variation between the clinicians regarding these technologies. None of the participants used these technologies in practice [Table 2].
Table 2.
Comparison of the awareness and application of these technologies among clinicians
| Questions | Yes | No | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Are you aware of artificial intelligence? | 2 | 48 | 0.05 |
| Are you aware of robotics in dentistry? | 4 | 46 | 0.05 |
| Do you use robotics in daily practice? | 50 | 0 | <0.001 |
| Do you use algorithms in treatment planning and appointments? | 1 | 49 | <0.001 |
| Do you possess any training in using advanced technologies? | 1 | 49 | <0.001 |
DISCUSSION
There are two applications of artificial intelligence (AI): robotics that is physical, and virtual that is computer applications and algorithms.[2] In dentistry, both the applications of artificial intelligence are used. For treatment and rehabilitation, robotics is used and for the prognosis, imaging and the diagnosis, virtual AI is used.[8,9,10] Our findings suggest a lower awareness and application of these technologies among clinicians. We had difficulty comparing our results as this is one of the first studies evaluating the awareness of advanced technologies in dentistry.
In our study both of these methods are used for various aspects of endodontic dentistry like studying root canal system morphology, periapical lesions and root fractures, determining working length measures, predicting the survivability of dental pulp stem cells, and predicting the efficacy of retreatment treatments, among other applications in endodontics.[6,7] This technology's future was explored in terms of scheduling, treating patients, drug-drug interactions, diagnosis with prognostic values, and robotics-assisted endodontic surgery in these articles. The drawback of these technologies is the ethical concern and the potential legal risks.[4,7] While it is without a doubt that these can revolutionize the field of dentistry, the application of these technologies is debated due to their high cost and clinical requirement. The limitation of our study was chiefly the lack of adequate number of articles for a thorough evaluation.
CONCLUSION
In endodontics, artificial intelligence could help with clinical applications such as detecting periapical pathosis, root fractures, determining working length, and disease prediction. Before artificial intelligence is widely adopted into ordinary clinical practice, high-quality research is needed to assess its performance in terms of its reliability, applicability, legal and ethical considerations, and cost-effectiveness.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
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