Intelligence, the Key to Success
Inside Dental Technology delivers updates on digital workflows, materials, lab techniques, and innovation in dental technology through expert articles and videos.
December 1, 2022
Volume 13, Issue 12, December 2022
Page(s): p. 24
Artificial intelligence (AI) has grown and continues to grow in various ways autonomously; in fact, it is one of those incredibly powerful technologies that are deployed by many professions and oftentimes operates in the background. Dentistry in recent years has seen multiple developments and uses of artificial intelligence in restorative and clinical processes and workflow. With design, scanning, nesting, slicing, and so much more, as we aggregate more and more data and scans, the efficacy of artificial intelligence and its algorithms becomes more predictable and truly a tool for greater efficiency and production power. Every laboratory professional needs to be aware and engage in the process and growth of artificial intelligence and where it could potentially benefit your laboratory’s workflow and efficiency in serving the laboratory’s clientele and ultimately the dental patient. With time, artificial intelligence will undoubtedly continue to improve in execution and indications, but how are you preparing to tap into this exciting technology and ultimately harness its power to improve your laboratory’s workflows and efficiency? What else may artificial intelligence provide?
On the medical side, artificial intelligence helps determine and advise the practitioner with potential treatment options; after it searches the databases for similar scenarios and their outcomes and after assessing all those factors in a matter of a fraction of a second, the medical practitioner can enjoy a more informed decision that will ultimately serve the best interest of the patient and lead to a quicker healing opportunity. This is just one of the multiple examples where artificial intelligence can benefit the process and continues to improve. Laboratory owners should contemplate: What can this type of technology provide us in our dental space?
Although artificial intelligence undoubtedly will become better over time, growing our dental intelligence remains critical. Dental intelligence comprises a commitment to dental education and years of experience, where each and every day, we continue to grow and learn as dental professionals. Dental intelligence is the knowledge base of what will be viable in the oral environment and what may cause unintended consequences. You see, there are times when prosthetics are made to fill a solution or space for function and esthetics, but a question remains as to whether they have all the mechanisms to ensure optimal functionality and longevity of the prosthesis. Whether it be appropriate morphology, gnathology, occlusion, biomechanics, material science, etc, these dental intelligence concepts are what will ensure the viability and ultimate success of not only the dental laboratory but, in due course, the dental patient.
The future is very bright for the dental laboratory profession, because coupling both of these incredibly powerful concepts—artificial intelligence and dental intelligence—will undoubtedly avail the very best of prosthetics that are well thought out with impressive efficiency and workflow. With that said, I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy holiday season and New Year!
It is with great pleasure and pride to Elevate and Inspire with Knowledge!
Daniel Alter, MSc, MDT, CDT
Executive Editor
dalter@aegiscomm.com
