Imagine a practice where the little ones enjoy visiting the dentist, and pediatric procedures are quicker, visibly welcoming and more preventive than curative in nature.  

In the rapidly evolving world of healthcare, artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a transformative force, bringing about significant advancements across various medical fields. Paediatric dentistry, a speciality focused on the oral health of children from infancy through adolescence, is no exception. From enhancing diagnostic accuracy to improving patient management and education, AI holds immense potential to reshape the future of paediatric dental care. Given that, let’s explore how the new age of AI is helping in the treatment of baby teeth in the most innovative ways.  

The Impact of AI on Paediatric Care 

AI innovations promise more than healthier smiles – it ensures comfortable and engaging dental experiences for kids.  

Here are the top 5 contributions of AI in paedodontics: 

Dental Plaque Detection 

The surface area of operation in dentistry is already quite limited in adults, let alone in small children. Detecting plaque in these tiny workspaces is quite challenging for dental practitioners, along with the limited capacity to follow instruction. Clinicians have traditionally used explorers or disclosing solutions to identify the infected area in a child’s mouth and  have quantified it using standard practice indices. However, these methods are cumbersome and inconvenient, especially with an uncooperative child.  

An AI model has recently been introduced that successfully identifies plaque on primary teeth (or baby teeth) with satisfactory accuracy, using intraoral photos, captured by an affordable digital camera, making it feasible for parents to use at home.  

The use of an AI model may help parents in their daily routines by significantly easing the detection of dental plaque on their children’s teeth, thereby preventing dental cavities. 

Early Childhood Caries 

Dental caries is considered as one of the most prevalent chronic childhood diseases.  New AI algorithms can identify risk factors for oral diseases such as dental caries. These models can potentially lead to the development of preventive measures that, in turn, can improve patient care. They have shown favorable performance in predicting dental caries and can be useful in identifying high-risk groups and implementing preventive treatments. 

AI models are particularly useful in predicting carious lesions early-on. With the help of machine learning, caries can be detected and classified on different tooth surfaces.  Machine learning has also shown to be a useful as a screening tool when detecting proximal and occlusal caries using image processing techniques. 

Chronological Age Assessment  

Assessing patients’ ages is exceptionally useful for dentists in planning and evaluating treatment results.  

Dental age is generally analysed using either the clinical method or the pantomographic method. Most recently, AI-based neural models have been developed for determining chronological age using digital pantomographic images. This method is simpler, nearly accurate, and was among the first to use pantomographic images for metric age assessment. These models can also detect and number primary teeth.  

An AI algorithm intended to recognize and number deciduous teeth on panoramic radiographs shows promise for automated charting and can save time when handling children. When compared to manual segmentation, this AI-based technique detects and segments teeth on panoramic radiographs faster and with more precision. 

Ectopic Eruption of First Permanent Molar  

Ectopic eruption is when an emerging tooth is incorrectly erupting at a position away from where it should normally be, typically during early mixed dentition. The maxillary first molar is the most commonly affected tooth. Potential side effects include narrowing of the dental arch, loss of space between teeth (interdental space), misalignment (malocclusion), and absorption of the distal surface of the primary second molar. Therefore, early diagnosis is crucial as it can aid in treatment planning and help prevent these issues. 

Dentists use a combination of radiographs and clinical exams to diagnose ectopic eruptions. Different types of radiographs are employed in the diagnostic process, such as cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), panoramic, occlusal, and periapical radiography. Panoramic radiographs are particularly useful as they provide a comprehensive view of all teeth and surrounding structures, helping to pinpoint the exact position of the tooth and any irregular eruptions. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) models are revolutionizing dental diagnostics by enhancing precision and consistency. These advanced systems analyze radiographic images with remarkable accuracy, often detecting issues that might be overlooked by the human eye. By incorporating AI into dental practice, dentists can improve diagnostic accuracy, leading to better treatment plans and more effective management of dental health. 

Supernumerary tooth and Mesiodens Identification  

Mesiodens is when an extra tooth erupts between the two front upper teeth. It is a common occurrence that is usually harmless but can lead to  complications, including eruption disorders in the remaining teeth and dental crowding, at times. Timely detection of a mesiodens in children can ensure proper dental development. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been used in the diagnosis of mesiodens and the identification of supernumerary teeth. Single deep learning models, in particular, are proving to be highly effective. These models are user-friendly and can be easily integrated into clinical settings, offering a straightforward approach to dental diagnostics. 

AI models excel in detecting mesiodens and supernumerary teeth by analysing panoramic radiographs across different stages of dentition: primary, mixed, and permanent. These models are trained to recognize subtle signs of abnormalities that might be missed by human observation. AI systems can accurately identify patterns and anomalies by analyzing vast sets of radiographic images. 

Key Takeaway: More Efficient and Precise Patient Care 

The magic of pediatric dentistry combined with the miracles of AI has the potential to make dentists and dental treatments more friendly and engaging. AI is not here to replace dental clinicians or paediatric dentists. It is only a powerful tool that makes dental procedures, including preventive, restorative, and diagnoses more precise, efficient, effective and patient-friendly. AI aids in the planning and assessment of treatment, thereby enhancing the overall quality of dental care. 

The Global Dentists’ Pool – A New Way to Support Dental Innovation Progress 

The Global Dentists’ Pool is an opportunity for both dental device/software companies and dentists, to collaborate more closely together. 

For dental companies 

With more than 100 dentists spread across 21 countries, this Pool supports dental companies by helping them  

(1) validate their design ideas by running surveys in a large global cohort of practitioners and/or  

(2) hire premium dental advisors to support various clinical, regulatory, marketing and sales projects.  

These are all dentists with specialized MedTech expertise in different domains. The core focus is to avoid hiring multiple ‘non-dental trained’ freelancers and consultants and hire premium dental advisors instead, who are the perfect single substitute for multiple human resources, in the form of one highly specialized advisor. 

For dentists 

The Global Dentists’ Pool provides dentists, both general dentists and specialists, with opportunities to participate in dental projects without disrupting their clinical practice. The number of hours of engagement is flexible and dentists can upskill themselves by taking the “premium dental advisor program” which teaches how devices are made with medical device industry fundamentals. 

If you would like to engage with us to support your project or advance your dental career, then reach out to us at contactus@namnrpro.org.