(By Dr. Joseph D. Lim and Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim, BS-MMG, DDM, MSc-OI)
ARTIFICIAL Intelligence or AI is set to become one of the most transformative technologies.
For medical applications and demonstrates great potential and useful properties for improving the analysis of various medical imaging datasets such as plain radiographs or three-dimensional imaging modalities, says Jae-Hong Lee, Editor of a special issue on AI published by the scientific journal Diagnostics.
While still in very preliminary stages, the usefulness of AI in dentistry has been assessed for the detection, classification, and segmentation of anatomical variables for orthodontic landmarks, dental caries, periodontal disease, and osteoporosis.
AI-based deep learning architectures have already been approved by the FDA and are being applied in clinical practice, says Dr. Lee who is with the Department of Periodontology, Daejeon Dental Hospital, Institute of Wonkwang Dental Research, Wonkwang University College of Dentistry, South Korea.
He compares AI to the ability of a machine that possesses its own form of intelligence to perform tasks that require human cognition, a characteristic that has emerged as a promising approach in healthcare domain since the 2000s.
Since then it has revolutionized medical practice. AI assists in clinical decision making through rapid and reliable data interpretation, the automation of administrative workflows to reduce nonpatient-care-related activities, and direct patient participation in monitoring their health to improve health literacy, writes Dr. Lee.
“AI has led to a paradigm shift in dental science, including in restorative dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery, prosthodontics, orthodontics, endodontics, and periodontics,” he continues.
AI-based algorithms will facilitate rapid, accurate, and reliable diagnosis of oral diseases and adoption of preventive strategies, as well as prompt intervention for improved treatment outcomes.
“AI has significantly transformed dentistry and is viewed as a promising tool to revolutionize clinical diagnosis and management of oral disease,” Dr. Lee says.
“AI scores over traditional analytics and clinical decision making techniques through unbiased, consistent, and good-quality diagnosis and treatment in clinical and epidemiological scenarios. It is particularly useful for standardized diagnosis and treatment of oral disease, which will benefit dental professionals in clinical practice.”
The foundation of AI applications focus on oral health, including general dentistry, periodontology, implantology, oral surgery, oral radiology, orthodontics, and prosthodontics, among others.
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Dr. Joseph D. Lim, Ed. D., is the former Associate Dean of the College of Dentistry, University of the East; former Dean, College of Dentistry, National University; Past President and Honorary Fellow of the Asian Oral Implant Academy; Honorary Fellow of the Japan College of Oral Implantologists; Honorary Life Member of the Thai Association of Dental Implantology; and Founding Chairman of the Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail jdlim2008@gmail.com or text 0917-8591515.
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Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim, BS-MMG, DDM, MSc-OI, graduated Doctor of Dental Medicine, University of the Philippines, College of Dentistry, Manila, 2011; Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management, De la Salle University, Manila, 2002; and Master of Science (MSc.) in Oral Implantology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, 2019. He is an Associate Professor; Fellow, International Congress of Oral Implantologists; Member, American Academy of Implant Dentistry and Fellow, Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail limdentalcenter@gmail.com./PN
