Technology and the Future of Dental Practice | Dr. Yara Oweis | TEDxPSUT

Summary

The speaker, a dentist trained in the mid-90s, highlights the revolutionary impact of technology on dental practice. From the primitive overhead projectors to advanced intraoral cameras, digital radiography, and CAT scans, the presentation underscores how these innovations have simplified diagnosis, treatment, and education. The speaker also discusses the growing influence of digital workflows, laser usage, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence in dentistry, emphasizing their precision and patient comfort, while acknowledging the challenges of high costs and limited availability.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker is a dentist trained in the mid-90s and highlights the significant technological advancements in dental practice since then.
• 🎓 The use of overhead projectors has been replaced by more advanced tools like PowerPoint and YouTube for teaching and learning in dentistry.
• 🔬 Technological advancements have revolutionized dental practice, including diagnosis, treatment, procedure design, and dental research.
• 📸 The introduction of intra-oral cameras has made dental examinations and patient communication more effective, though they are not yet widely affordable.
• 🦷 Digital radiography has improved the quality and speed of dental X-rays, reducing patient and dentist exposure to radiation, but at a higher cost.
• 💡 Cone beam CT scans offer detailed 3D images for precise dental procedures, especially in surgeries and implant planning, but are limited by cost and availability.
• 💎 The move from manual to digital workflows in prosthodontics, using CAD/CAM technology, has increased precision and reduced human error, albeit with high initial costs.
• 🌐 The use of lasers in dentistry has become more prevalent for gum surgeries, teeth whitening, and canal treatments, offering less invasive and more precise options.
• 🕶️ Virtual reality in dentistry is used for patient simulations and student training, though it is currently limited due to high costs and is not widely available.
• 🤖 Artificial intelligence is increasingly utilized in dental research for pattern detection and issue identification, improving diagnostic accuracy in various dental disciplines.
• 💰 The common theme in these advancements is their high cost, which currently limits their widespread use, but there is hope that prices will decrease for broader accessibility.

Q & A

What was the primary method of presenting information during the speaker's dental training in the mid-90s?

The primary method of presenting information during the speaker's dental training in the mid-90s was through overhead projectors with hand-drawn or handwritten slides.

How has technology changed the way dental students learn today compared to the past?

Today, dental students can watch videos on platforms like YouTube, and professors can demonstrate procedures with cameras projecting the process onto screens, making learning and teaching much easier compared to the past when overhead projectors were used.

What is an intraoral camera, and how does it benefit dental practice?

An intraoral camera is a small device used inside a patient's mouth to display dental issues on a computer screen. It helps in easier diagnosis, treatment explanation, and patient follow-up of dental procedures.

What are the advantages of digital radiographic sensors over traditional film-based radiographs?

Digital radiographic sensors offer sharp, well-defined images with clear details, immediate results, and reduced X-ray exposure, making diagnosis quicker, easier, and safer for both patients and dentists.

What is cone beam computer tomography, and how does it aid in dental procedures?

Cone beam computer tomography is a type of CT scan that provides 3D images of teeth and surrounding tissues. It is widely used in root canal treatments, wisdom tooth extractions, and dental implant planning, offering detailed and accurate images with lower radiation than regular CT scans.

How does the manual workflow for creating dental prosthetics differ from the digital workflow?

The manual workflow involves taking an impression of the teeth, creating a model, and building the prosthesis by a dental technician. The digital workflow uses an intraoral camera to capture impressions, computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) techniques, and digital models, resulting in more precise prosthetics with fewer errors.

What role do lasers play in modern dental practice?

Lasers are used in modern dental practice for gum surgeries, teeth whitening, removal of bacteria in tooth canals, and taking biopsies. They offer less invasive, more comfortable, and more precise treatments compared to traditional methods.

How is virtual reality used in dentistry for patient care and education?

Virtual reality in dentistry creates interactive simulations to show patients the procedures they will undergo, reducing anxiety, and allowing dental students to train and practice in a controlled and safe environment.

What potential does artificial intelligence offer in dental research and diagnostics?

Artificial intelligence in dentistry uses algorithms to analyze patient information, detect patterns, and identify potential issues from photographs, X-rays, or patient histories. It is particularly useful in distinguishing between normal, premalignant, and cancerous oral tissues, and in detecting dental caries and periapical lesions.

What challenges do the high costs of advanced dental technologies pose to their widespread adoption?

High costs of advanced dental technologies, such as intraoral cameras, digital sensors, and cone beam CT scanners, limit their availability to certain clinics and institutions. This restricts the ability to use these technologies on a wider scale in dental practices.

What does the speaker anticipate for the future of technology in dental practice?

The speaker anticipates that as with other technologies, the prices of advanced dental technologies will decrease over time, allowing for wider adoption and integration into dental practices.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Technological Evolution in Dental Education and Practice

The speaker begins by introducing themselves and expressing excitement about discussing the impact of technology on dental practice. They reminisce about their training in the mid-90s, highlighting the limited use of PowerPoint and the reliance on overhead projectors for presentations. The speaker contrasts this with modern capabilities, such as students watching instructional videos on YouTube and professors using cameras to project demonstrations on screens, enhancing the learning experience. The speaker then transitions to the significant technological advancements in dentistry since the 1990s, emphasizing the introduction of new technologies, materials, and methods that have revolutionized dental diagnosis, treatment, and research. They also mention the high cost of some technologies, such as intra-oral cameras, and express hope for wider availability and reduced costs in the future.

05:02

📸 Advances in Dental Diagnostics and Radiography

This paragraph delves into the evolution of dental diagnostics, focusing on the transition from traditional film radiography to digital sensors and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). The speaker explains how digital radiography has made diagnosis quicker and more precise, with the added benefit of reduced radiation exposure. However, they also acknowledge the higher costs associated with digital sensors and the challenges of adaptability in the oral cavity. The paragraph also covers the benefits of CBCT for detailed 3D imaging in dental procedures like root canal treatments and implant planning, despite its higher cost and limited availability.

10:02

🦷 The Digital Workflow in Prosthodontics and the Role of AI

The speaker discusses the shift from manual to digital workflows in prosthodontics, facilitated by intra-oral cameras and computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology. They describe how this digital approach leads to more precise prosthetics with fewer errors, as it reduces reliance on manual skills. The speaker also touches on the high costs and limited availability of this technology, predicting a future shift towards wider adoption as costs decrease. Additionally, they mention the use of lasers in dental surgeries for their precision and patient comfort, as well as the emerging role of artificial intelligence in dental research, diagnostics, and treatment planning.

15:06

🌐 The Future of Dentistry with Technology

In the concluding paragraph, the speaker reflects on the future of dentistry, emphasizing the continuous integration of technology into practice. They express optimism that as technology becomes more accessible and affordable, its benefits will extend to a broader range of dental applications. The speaker also hints at their involvement in AI research within dentistry, inviting interested parties to collaborate. The paragraph ends on a note of thanks to the audience for their attention to the presentation.

Keywords

💡Technology

Technology refers to the collection of tools, systems, or processes that are used to achieve a specific outcome or solve a problem. In the context of the video, technology plays a pivotal role in transforming dental practice, making it more efficient and precise. The script discusses how advancements in technology have revolutionized diagnostics, treatment methods, and research in dentistry.

💡Dental Practice

Dental practice encompasses the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The video highlights how technology has significantly impacted dental practice, from the use of intraoral cameras to digital radiography and computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) techniques, improving patient care and treatment outcomes.

💡Intraoral Camera

An intraoral camera is a small, handheld device used by dentists to capture high-resolution images of a patient's teeth and gums. The video explains that intraoral cameras have made dental practice easier by allowing dentists to display dental issues on a screen for patients to see, thus enhancing communication and understanding of treatment plans.

💡Digital Radiography

Digital radiography is a method of obtaining dental X-rays using digital sensors instead of traditional film. The video script mentions that digital radiography provides sharper, well-defined images that can be manipulated on a screen, making diagnosis quicker and more accurate. It also reduces the patient's X-ray exposure compared to traditional methods.

💡CAD/CAM

Computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) is a technology used in dentistry to design and create dental restorations like crowns and bridges. The video describes how CAD/CAM allows for more precise and efficient production of dental prostheses, reducing the reliance on manual labor and the potential for human error.

💡Lasers

Lasers in dentistry are used for various procedures, including gum surgeries, teeth whitening, and root canal treatments. The video script notes that lasers offer less invasive, more comfortable, and more precise treatments compared to traditional methods, although they are more expensive and not as widely used as other technologies.

💡Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) in dentistry is used to create interactive simulations for patient education and student training. The video mentions that VR can help reduce patient anxiety by simulating dental procedures, although it is currently limited in its availability due to high costs and is primarily used in educational institutions.

💡Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) in dentistry involves the use of algorithms to analyze patient data and identify potential issues. The video script discusses how AI can detect patterns and diagnose conditions with high accuracy, such as identifying oral premalignant and cancerous tissues from photographs, which can be less invasive than traditional biopsy methods.

💡Dental Research

Dental research is the systematic investigation into the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of oral diseases. The video emphasizes that technological advancements have revolutionized dental research, leading to new discoveries and improvements in dental practice. AI, in particular, is highlighted as a significant contributor to current dental research.

💡Cost

The cost of implementing new technologies in dentistry is a recurring theme in the video. The script mentions that while technologies like intraoral cameras, digital radiography, and CAD/CAM offer significant benefits, they are currently limited by their high costs. The speaker expresses hope that, as with other technologies, costs will decrease over time, making these advancements more accessible to a wider range of dental practices.

Highlights

Introduction of the speaker's background and the evolution of presentation technology from overhead projectors to modern tools.

The impact of technology on making teaching and learning in dentistry easier through video demonstrations.

Revolution in dental practice due to new technologies, materials, and methods.

Transition from traditional techniques to modern technological alternatives in dental procedures.

The role of technological advancements in dental research and development.

The use of intra-oral cameras to facilitate patient understanding and dental procedure demonstration.

Cost considerations and future availability of intra-oral cameras in dental practices.

Advancements in dental radiography with the shift from film to digital sensors for better diagnosis.

Benefits and drawbacks of digital radiographic sensors compared to traditional film.

Introduction of cone beam computer tomography for detailed 3D imaging in dental diagnostics.

The cost and availability of cone beam CT scans in dental practices.

Fixed and removable prosthodontics and the transition from manual to digital workflows.

The precision and efficiency of digital workflows in prosthesis creation using CAD/CAM technology.

Challenges and future prospects of digital workflows in dental institutions.

The use of lasers in dentistry for gum surgeries, teeth whitening, and other procedures.

The prevalence and benefits of laser technology in dental surgeries compared to other advanced techniques.

Virtual reality in dentistry for patient education and student training.

The limitations of virtual reality in dentistry due to cost and availability.

The rise of artificial intelligence in dental research for pattern detection and issue identification.

The potential of AI in analyzing oral cavity photographs for tissue differentiation.

The future integration of technology in dental practice and the hope for reduced costs.

Transcripts

foreign

[Music]

good afternoon everyone my name is

and I'm really glad and honored to be

with you this afternoon my presentation

or talk let's say and is entitled

technology and the future of dental

practice

I was trained to become a dentist in the

mid 90s and during that period we didn't

have PowerPoint presentations or it was

really limited and not all professors

used it we used to have overhead

projectors with hand-drawn or hand

written slides does any one of you know

what an overhead projector is

not really not many so you guys are

younger than I thought so an overhead

projector is something that looks like

this okay so this thing was really

primitive and limited and it did not

convey the message really easily so this

made the learning and teaching both

difficult nowadays and due to technology

things are a lot different now our

students can watch videos on YouTube

instead of having to hang up around the

professor to watch him demonstrate on a

tiny tooth the professor can also do the

demonstration and have a camera filming

what he's doing and how it projected on

the screen and students can watch to

watch it really easily and pay attention

to different types of details these

technological advancements as I said

have made both teaching and learning

really much easier year now Dentistry is

not separated from all of this

technological advancements have made a

revolution in the dental practice

I remember when I graduated in the 1999

I was trained using the same equipment

that my parents were trained on during

the 60s and 70s of the past Century

but with a slightly different design

let's say but the equipment were

basically the same but after that and

during the 2000 years things have taken

a different perspective and

technological advancements have made a

revolution in the dental practice let's

say new technologies and new materials

and new methods

technological advancements in dentistry

could be seen in their diagnosis and

treatment of dental issues the design

and execution of different dental

procedures and the transitions from

traditional techniques to more modern

technological Alternatives and also they

have revolutionalized dental research

which also helps in the development of

the dental profession and dental

practice

I will start by the simple thing which

is the use of an intra-ordal camera

although these technological

advancements are not yet widely

available in all dental clinics or

institutions because they are still they

still have a high cost but they have

made the practice of Dentistry much

easier and we are hoping and looking

forward that the prices would go down in

the near future and they would become

widely available in all the dental

practices and institutions let's go back

to what we started with the intraoral

camera the intraoral camera is a small

device that the dentist can use it

inside the patient's mouth and this

intra-oral camera would show the patient

on a computer screen in front of him the

issues that he has with his teeth with

his gums and the treatment were the

dentist would

like explain to the patient the dental

procedure that he's going to do and also

the patient can follow up the uh the

advancement in the dental treatment that

he's being provided by the by the

dentist also another method of diagnosis

that has um that has witnessed A

revolution is the intra the dental

radiography in the past we used to do

radiographs using those films those

films are a lot cheaper than what we use

nowadays and but the procedure is much

more difficult because you would have to

put the film take the radiograph take

the film to a dark room and then process

it

and then it's about five to seven

minutes until you can figure out whether

your X-ray was correct whether you've

captured the required details and

whether it had the the sharpness that

you wanted it to be as opposed to the

digital radiographic sensors where you

put it inside the patient's mouth you

take the radiograph and then it's

directly projected on the screen the the

X-ray is really sharp well defined and

the details are very very nicely shown

on the screen you can enlarge you can

make it smaller you can do all sorts of

measurements on that so it has made the

diagnosis much easier and quicker and

then the exposure the X-ray exposure is

a lot less than the the radiographs that

we used before so it is much it's less

risky to the patient and the dentist as

well however it has some drawbacks and

the first one of them as all other

technological advancements it's much

more expensive as a digital sensor would

cause a few thousand JDS those a whole

pack of the older films would cause

maybe 10 JDS or something like that and

sometimes you would need more than one

size of a sensor to be able to use it in

different parts of the mouth and also

this sensor is made of rigid plastic so

sometimes it's not easily adaptable to

all parts of the oral cavity

another advancement in Dental

radiography which has also helped in in

the easily diagnosis and the um the

execution of dental procedures is

something we called con beam computer

tomography it is a special type of CT

scans I think you all have heard about

the CT scan so it takes sections and the

3D image of the whole thing so it shows

more details of the teeth and the

surrounding tissue and the uh the bones

also instead of having a 2D image of the

oral structures

and it is nowadays widely used in root

canal treatments and also in planning

and executions different types of

surgeries such as the extraction of

wisdom teeth and planning of dental

implants because it allows us to have as

we said a 3D detailed and accurate image

with lower radiation than the regular

cities and as we can see over here that

we can do some measurements of the bone

height as well as it shows us also the

bone width over here which cannot be

seen in regular radiographs so this is a

very uh good instrument that or a

diagnostic tool but again it is more

expensive a regular radiograph would

cost a patient to pay like 10 JDS

whereas this one might be up to 50 JDs

and it's not widely available in Dental

Clinic and in a radiographic centers as

well so it's still Limited

Now we move to another example which is

really my area of expertise because it

is my specialty which is the uh the

fixed and removable prosthodontics I

think that you all know what a crown or

a bridge is either you have one or you

went with your parents or with your

friends to a dentist to have one okay so

in the past

when you go to the dentist

you go and take the dentist would finish

preparing your teeth then he will start

by taking an impression of your teeth

okay to get a negative replica which

would be sent later on to the lab poured

into a model and then the model would be

worked on by a dental technician who

would start mixing the materials and

then building up the prosthesis and then

baking it finishing it and sending it

back to the dentist to put it inside the

patient's mouth this procedure is called

the manual workflow and it's still

widely used in institutions and in

clinics we even our students learn to

use it in the at the University of

Jordan but as opposed to this one where

a lot of inaccuracies come all over the

way from taking the impression into

pouring it into the lab which depends

highly also on the manual skills of the

technician we have another newer thing

that is also crawling its way into the

dental profession and starting to become

more and more used which is the digital

workflow again we go back to this

intraoral camera which can capture the

same impression that we were talking

about before and it is projected on the

screen as we can see over here

okay so this is equivalent to the

impression in the manual workflow

so it takes the details of the teeth the

surrounding structures

and after we are done with that we send

this to our lab the lab would have the

same software it would start building up

the uh the prosthesis on the software

and this is called computer aided design

computer aided manufacturing or as we

call it in dentistry the cat cam

technique or the digital workflow it

allows us to get really precise

prosthesis and as I said it uses digital

Impressions and models now the lab is

looking at it he's designing the the

prosthesis he sent it back to us via

email or Whatsapp or whatever the

dentist can look at the final prosthesis

the size the shape the color the

everything he can make sure that

everything is okay then the lab would

send this to a milling machine or

printing machine that would do the whole

prosthesis and then they take it out of

the machine and they send it to the

dentist so no humans are involved in

there it doesn't depend on the humans

technical skills or abilities so we have

less errors in that and more precise

prosthesis again this is a a very uh

nice way to perform crowns and bridges

however it's not widely available

because the intraoral camera would also

cause around 15K or something like that

besides the software and it's still

limited to certain clinics and certain

labs and we still rely more on the

manual workflow however I believe that

in the near future things would turn to

the digital workflow prices would go

down like everything else in the world

like the prices start high and then they

start going down because it starts to

become widely available for everyone

another example is also the use of

lasers the use of lasers has made also

the uh the dental practice the surgery

is much easier and more convenient to

the patients it is widely used in gum

surgeries and teeth whitening and the

removal of bacteria and tooth Canal

treatments and also in taking biopsies

they are less invasive more comfortable

to the patient and more precise again

the coast is a little bit High however

those lasers are more widely used than

the other techniques like the cat cam

um as I spoke about it a little bit a

while ago they are more used than the

cat cam in surgeries and by dentists

virtual reality

so I bet you all know better about

virtual reality than I do but it's also

used in dentistry it's the creation of

interactive simulations it is beneficial

to show the patient or simulate the

procedure for the patient to decrease

his anxiety and also it is a way where

the students can train and practice the

dental procedures in a controlled and

safe environment unfortunately virtual

reality for Dentistry is not available

in Jordan until now and also it's not

really widely available in in in the

whole world it's only limited to to

institutions and to teaching Dental

students that's all because of course

obviously of the high cost of this

technique

and last but not least I'm gonna talk

also about artificial intelligence you

are also more familiar than artificial

intelligence and how it works more than

I do but nowadays it's really a hit in

dentistry and it's widely used in Dental

research and it gets a lot of citations

for publication so anyone interested

let me know I have an idea and I'm

working on that

so it uses algorithms to analyze patient

information and it can detect patterns

and identify potential issues usually

what we use is photographs x-rays or

patients histories

now for photographs it was there's a lot

of research about taking photographs

from inside the oral cavity of patients

with normal tissue oral premalignant and

cancerous tissues this is better

actually than taking biopsies because

it's less invasive it doesn't cause

patient discomfort and sometimes inside

the oral cavity the the human eye can

miss certain details sometimes we cannot

distinguish between the normal tissues

and oral premalignant tissues but as for

the artificial intelligence it does and

a lot of cases it's it's with high

accuracy we can also use it in a dental

radiography in the detection of dental

caries or or periapical lesions and also

it is it is also used in Orthodontics in

periodontics and in a lot of dental

disciplines nowadays and as I told you

it's some it's really a hit for research

nowadays for dental research so

as we all know like the future is for

the technology and it's scrolling its

way into the dental practice as well

hopefully prices would go down so that

we would be able to use it on a wider

base than what we do nowadays and thank

you all for listening