Nightmare fuel? Maybe — but in a historic moment for the dental profession, an autonomous AI-controlled robot has performed an entire procedure on a human patient for the first time — about eight times faster than a human dentist could do it.
Developed by Boston company Perceptive, the system uses a handheld 3D volumetric scanner that uses optical coherence tomography, or OCT, to create a detailed 3D model of the mouth, including teeth, gums, and even nerves beneath the tooth surface. Here’s an example:
Rapid oral scans using OCT
This way, harmful X-ray radiation is eliminated from the process, because OCT uses only light beams to create its volumetric models, and these models are produced in high resolution, while cavities are automatically detected with an accuracy rate of around 90%.
At this point, the (human) dentist and the patient can discuss what needs to be done – but once these decisions have been made, the robotic dental surgeon steps in. He plans the operation, then jolly well goes ahead and performs the operation.
The machine’s first specialty: Preparing a tooth for a crown. Perceptive claims that this is typically a two-hour procedure that dentists typically split into two visits. The robo-dentist gets it done in about 15 minutes. Here’s a time-lapse video of the drilling part, which looks a lot like a CNC machine in action:
Human treatment performed by the world's first fully automated robotic dentist
Amazingly, the company claims the machine can safely get the job done “even in the most intense moving conditions,” and that trial tests on moving humans have all been successful. There are certainly some brave guinea pigs out there.
“We are thrilled to have successfully completed the world’s first fully automated robotic dental procedure,” says Dr. Chris Ciriello, CEO and Founder of Perceptive, who is clearly well-versed in the art of speaking in the driest, harshest press release jargon. “This medical breakthrough increases the precision and efficiency of dental procedures and improves patient experience and clinical outcomes by democratizing access to better dental care. We look forward to advancing our system and pioneering scalable, fully automated dental healthcare solutions for patients.”
“Perceptive’s AI-powered robotic system will transform dentistry,” adds Karim Zaklama, DDS, a general dentist and member of Perceptive’s clinical advisory board. “The patient experience will be improved by simplifying procedures and improving patient comfort. Advanced imaging capabilities, especially the intraoral scanner, provide unprecedented detail that allows us to diagnose problems earlier and more accurately and connect with patients more effectively. This efficiency allows us to focus more on personalized patient care and effectively treat more patients by reducing chair time.”
Sensory
Sitting in a chair and watching a robot drill your teeth is certainly disturbing, but we wonder if the idea of a human doing it is even more disturbing.
High-precision human-controlled robotic surgery is already making huge strides, removing the traditional need for an incredibly steady hand – and as we’ve seen in the humanoid space, once you introduce teleoperation to a robot, you’re training it to take over at some point and do the same job autonomously. So that’s probably an idea that you’re going to have to get used to in the coming years.
And there are clearly benefits. If you can get in and out of the robo-dentist’s chair in a quarter of an hour instead of two 60-minute marathons, that’s a big improvement. You don’t have to keep your mouth open as much, which can make those 15 minutes less tiring. And while the system will certainly cost money, it seems to save enough time to help lower dental bills.
The robot has not yet been approved by the FDA, and Perceptive has not announced a distribution timeline, so it could be several years before the public has access to this type of treatment.
Of course, the company aims to expand the machine’s capabilities and broaden the range of treatments at its disposal. One wonders if a stubborn wisdom tooth extraction might require a mechanical knee to be lifted into your chest…
Source: Perceptive