Those with a fear of the dentist's chair should probably look away now because one day a robot might be doing the job - at least if Perceptive has its way.

The self-proclaimed "leader in AI-driven automated dental technology" says that it completed "the world's first fully automated dental procedure on a human" this week.

If the thought of a robotic arm wielding a dental drill fills you with dread, why? Perceptive's tooth-fixing terminator is simply stuffed to the gills with technobabble, ensuring that it knows the difference between a lateral incisor and a lobotomy. Or so we hope.

The company says its system uses "3D volumetric data for diagnostics and treatment planning, enabling early and highly accurate diagnoses." Optical coherence technology (OCT) scans the patient's mouth using a handheld intraoral scanner, which captures 3D images "beneath the gum line, through fluids and under the tooth surface, offering unparalleled imaging capabilities."

It then uses "AI algorithms" to analyze that data and plan a procedure "with efficiency and high precision." Perceptive reckons that by automating these procedures, dentists can "diagnose and treat more patients with higher quality care in less time, reducing the need for manual labor and minimizing the chances of human error."

And here we were thinking that there must be some jobs out there that cannot possibly be automated, though we imagine the bot's bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired.

The "world's first fully automated dental procedure on a human" was a crown - not quite a root canal, but never say never. A video of the bot in action can be found here. Perceptive appears to be focusing on "restorative dentistry," claiming that its proprietary system "aims to complete tasks such as crown placements in just 15 minutes, a major reduction from the current method that requires two office visits of at least one hour each."

Founder and CEO Dr Chris Ciriello was eager to talk up his mechanical molar maestro, claiming: "This medical breakthrough enhances precision and efficiency of dental procedures, and democratizes access to better dental care, for improved patient experience and clinical outcomes. We look forward to advancing our system and pioneering scalable, fully automated dental healthcare solutions for patients."

Also, did you know that Meta big cheese Mark Zuckerberg's dad is a dentist credited as a pioneer in the integration of technology in the field? Well, now you do. Dr Edward Zuckerberg is an investor in Perceptive, which has raised $30 million to date.

He said of the tech: "The robotics system has been designed and rigorously tested to ensure that dentists can perform treatments safely, even in conditions where patient movement is prevalent. This commitment to safety is core to Perceptive's dedication to providing reliable and effective dental care solutions using state-of-the art technology."

It should be noted, however, that Perceptive's testing is all in-house and has not yet taken place in the US under Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. The robot also does not have 510(k) marketing clearance from the FDA thus is not available for sale.

So you can smile wide, humanity. The robots might be here, but it'll be some time before they trouble your pearly whites. Until then, there's always Turkey teeth. ®

https://www.theregister.com//2024/08/02/perceptive_robot_dentist/