Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry: A Narrative Review

Abstract

The rapid growth of AI-related dental publications reflects the burgeoning interest in dentistry. A systematic analysis revealed an unprecedented increase in AI dental publications, indicating a trend towards widespread implementation across various dental disciplines. This narrative review aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of AI's current applications and future in dentistry. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making significant strides in dental radiology, enhancing diagnostic accuracy and efficiency. Studies have demonstrated that AI outperforms clinicians in terms of accuracy and efficiency, particularly in tasks like caries detection and marginal bone loss identification. In prosthodontics, AI is revolutionizing the field by offering patient-specific prosthesis construction and precise color matching for better aesthetic and functional outcomes. It also plays a crucial role in dental implant design, ensuring accurate color matching in challenging cosmetic scenarios. In orthodontics, AI is increasingly used for tasks like landmark identification and skeletal classification, with performance comparable to or exceeding that of human experts. AI is seen as a valuable tool to improve clinical decision-making in orthodontics. In periodontics, AI-assisted monitoring has shown substantial improvements in various periodontal parameters, positively impacting treatment outcomes for patients with periodontitis. AI, when combined with human counseling, leads to even better results. Hence, AI is transforming different branches of dentistry, offering more accurate diagnostics, patient-specific treatments, and enhanced clinical decision-making. These advancements have the potential to improve patient care, treatment outcomes, and cost-effectiveness in dental healthcare.