Dental AI Is Big in 2024 and Its Potential Appears Even Bigger

Not to anyone’s surprise, artificial intelligence (AI) has made a big splash in the dental industry in 2024 and we can only expect more of the same going forward as the technology gets better and the capabilities expand.

When Dental Products Report unveiled the Cellerant Best of Class Technology Awards last month, there were 14 companies honored in addition to a category winner—Dental AI. Paul Feuerstein, DMD, said this in his summary of AI: “In dentistry, there are several areas in which we are able to use this technology, including reading radiographs, planning and following orthodontic treatment, and even analyzing phone conversations.”

When talking about diagnosis, he adds: “The beauty of the products is that a dentist can walk into a hygiene room and, at a glance, see all of the possibilities of areas that might be of concern. It is imperative that the dentist and hygienist use this information as a guide but not a final diagnosis.”

To read more from Dr Feurstein, click here.

Long before Cellerant named Dental AI a category winner when the 2024 wards were announced, we kicked off the New Year with a pair of articles on the topic.

“Do I Need AI to Do My Job?” was published on the DPR website on January 31. In this article, it notes that today’s technology can help clinicians make diagnoses, plan treatments, and run practices more efficiently, but some tasks will always require the human touch and experience. So, no, AI is not going to make dentists go away.

Lorne Lavine, DMD, founder and president of The Digital Dentist, states that AI is already a big part of dentistry in terms of administrative tasks and when it comes to diagnostics and predictive analytics, but he adds, “I think it’s also important to understand that there are some limitations.”

Also included in the feature are Florian Hillen, CEO of VideaHealth, Monique Kramer, CEO and founder of Dental SaaS Consulting, Planet DDS CEO Eric Giesecke, and Owandy Radiology Vice President of Sales and Marketing Boris Loyez.

These industry leaders share their thoughts on how advances in technology are helping clinicians and practices work more efficiently and how they expect AI to continue to play a bigger role in the near future.

You can read the full article here

In the February issue of DPR, Chief Dental Editor and Technology Editor John Flucke, DDS, wrote about this topic in his Technology Evangelist column, “Is Artificial Intelligence in 2024 a Need or a Want?”

In that article he sums things up by saying: “AI has incredible potential. However, we need to consider all the repercussions of these new systems as they are designed and ultimately implemented. I have no doubt that AI will help humanity accomplish amazing things and help amazing numbers of people. However, I welcome those naysayers or those who see a potential for adversity with it. We must consider all the angles and make sure we are doing the right thing. AI and machine learning are going to allow us to amplify the great things our profession can do.”

In the printed pages of DPR this past year and on the website were several articles and news releases about AI. They include advances in software, partnerships with group practices looking to run more efficiently, and steps taken to diagnose and treat patients better.

Check out dentalproductsreport.com to read some of these previous articles but know that there will be plenty more updates on AI’s impact on oral health soon.