Artificial intelligence in dentistry; concepts and applications

Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to machines that simulate human intelligence and includes several computer algorithms that are designed to reproduce features of human brain such as learning and problem solving. Most of the AI algorithms applied in dentistry fall under the category of ?Machine learning?, defined as a system which automatically learns and improves through experience. Each of these algorithms has a unique concept. The most common machine learning algorithms in dentistry include Deep learning networks, Artificial neural networks, Convolutional neural networks and support vector machines. AI has a variety of applications in dentistry, many of which have already been designed and marketed. It has been applied to help dentists in dental diagnosis, clinical decision-making and predicting the prognosis. Some studies, using only clinical data could help predicting the need for orthodontic treatment, assess the risk of oral cancer and also predict the difficulty level of the case and decide on referral. However, Dental image interpretation is a research hotspot; Most of the studies are based on radiographs and include dental caries recognition, working length determination, vertical root fracture detection, diagnosis of apical lesions, determining stages of growth and development, and assessment of the need of orthodontic extraction among many others. Studies show that AI-powered systems performed extremely well in various scenarios and in some cases even outperformed dental specialists. The growing number dental AI systems with high accuracy promise a bright future of AI in dentistry.