A Boston-based startup, Perceptive Technologies, has developed a robot dentist that can detect cavities and perform dental procedures with exceptional accuracy and safety. They recently tested their robot dentist on an awake human patient, making it the first company to do so.

Perceptive claims that their innovation could make human dentists more productive, and would make dental care more accessible in areas where there is a shortage of dentists. 

“This medical breakthrough enhances the precision and efficiency of dental procedures, and democratizes access to better dental care, for improved patient experience and clinical outcomes,”  Dr. Chris Ciriello, founder and CEO of Perceptive Technologies, said.  

How does the robot dentist work?

Perceptive’s robot dentist system combines artificial intelligence, robotics, and hi-tech imaging hardware and software technologies. It performs dental procedures using two separate units; the first is a handheld intraoral scanner and the second is the robot itself.

The intraoral scanner captures 3D images of dental tissues and other microstructures. However, there is one difference between the intraoral scanner and Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT), the traditional dental imaging method. 

CBCT uses X-rays to scan the dental soft tissues, nerve pathways, and bones. X-rays are a form of ionizing radiation that does carry some risk because it can potentially cause damage to tissues and increase the risk of cancer. An intraoral scanner, on the other hand, employs optical coherence tomography (OCT) which is safer as it uses nothing but light beams.

“OCT has been demonstrated to achieve 90% accuracy or greater for caries — without the ionizing radiation of other scanning technologies,” the Perceptive team notes. 

Human dentists study the 3D volumetric data from the intraoral scanner using an AI program and decide the procedure the patient needs.   

“Our cutting-edge AI technology uses this incredibly rich, 3D volumetric data to conduct state-of-the-art diagnostics and treatment planning, enabling dentists to diagnose problems earlier and with higher accuracy and visualize that data clearly to help patients better understand their need for care,” the Perceptive team added.

Once the decision and planning are done, the AI-driven automated robot dentist performs the required dental procedure. 

Would you let a robot fill your cavities?

During in-house tests, the Perceptive team used their robot to prepare a patient’s tooth for a dental crown. This procedure generally takes two hours and two visits to the dentist, but the robot dentist completes the task in only 15 minutes. 

“This efficiency allows us to focus more on personalized patient care and reduces chair time, enabling us to treat more patients effectively,” Karim Zaklama, an experienced dentist and a member of Perceptive’s clinical advisory board, said.

However, some patients might still hesitate to receive dental treatment from a robot. A lot of people postpone fixing their teeth until the last possible moment due to past trauma, and a mechanical arm working your teeth may not sound like the most appealing thing in the world. When asked about safety concerns, the Perceptive team said:    

“Safety is our absolute first priority. Our robotics system is being designed and rigorously tested to ensure that dentists can safely treat teeth even in the most movement-heavy conditions.”

However, the Perceptive team has yet to figure out ways to make the system scalable. Also, the robot hasn’t been tested in the US and doesn’t have FDA approval. Therefore, there will be some time before we see robot dentists performing dental procedures in clinics.