AI continues to be a hot topic across the entire healthcare industry. Implant dentistry is no exception. This week we wanted to just share a few quick studies that caught our attention on this very important topic.
First up, in the The new face of oral and maxillofacial surgery: artificial intelligence’s expanding role, the authors provide an excellent summary of how AI-driven surgical planning might develop. The idea, of course, is not that AI will replace decision-making, but that it will augment the planning process. This is because AI can analyze thousands upon thousands of past cases to provide optimized plans. As the authors state:
Surgeons can virtually “test” different cuts and movements on a patient’s jaw model, with the AI predicting outcomes like how the bite will fit or where bone interferences might occur. This is complemented by 3D printing of surgical guides and splints tailored to the AI-augmented plan. The result is a more precise surgery with potentially fewer surprises in the operating room and more predictable results.
In terms of specific use cases, in AI-Driven Design of Auxiliary Devices to Improve Intraoral Scanning Accuracy in Complete-Arch Implant Cases, the researchers developed auxiliary devices for intraoral (IO) scanning of complete-arch implants using AI, concluding that:
The AI model demonstrates exceptional performance in the task. The base of the AI-generated auxiliary device fits well with the edentulous region, while its landmark teeth are smaller than those of the manually designed control.
Another use case is potentially in Sinus Elevation. In a study, Accuracy of Robotic Computer-Assisted Implant Surgery for Transcrestal Sinus Floor Elevation: A Retrospective Case Series Study, the clinicians demonstrated that robotic computer-assisted implant surgery was indeed safe and accurate:
Throughout the surgical intervention, no immediate or significant complications were noted, and no evidence of complications such as tissue perforation or premature implantation failure was documented in the postoperative phase.
Of course, with the proliferation of Large Language Models (LLM’s), like ChatGpt and other more specialized LLM’s, the question, of course, is how soon, these models can be used to answer clinically significant questions in implant dentistry. This was addressed in, Accuracy and Reliability of Artificial Intelligence Chatbots as Public Information Sources in Implant Dentistry., where the authors compared responses from 3 popular LLMs, which showed that:
All three chatbots demonstrated an acceptable level of consistency.
Despite some level of consistency, though, unsurprisingly, the chat bots were not always accurate (LLM’s are always subject to some hallucination), so as of right not AI is not totally reliable and, “The clinician’s opinion must be given priority.”
References
The new face of oral and maxillofacial surgery: artificial intelligence’s expanding roleKim SG. J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2025 Jun 30
AI-Driven Design of Auxiliary Devices to Improve Intraoral Scanning Accuracy in Complete-Arch Implant Cases.Yu Pan , Weixuan Chen , Peter Moy , H N Pow Edmond , The International journal of oral & maxillofacial implants. Volume: 0, Issue: 0, 2025
Accuracy and Reliability of Artificial Intelligence Chatbots as Public Information Sources in Implant Dentistry.Filiz Yagcı , Ravza Eraslan , Haydar Albayrak , Funda İpekten , The International journal of oral & maxillofacial implants. Volume: 0, Issue: 0, 2025
Accuracy of Robotic Computer-Assisted Implant Surgery for Transcrestal Sinus Floor Elevation: A Retrospective Case Series Study.Ping Li , Ying Yang , Jiahao Chen , Lanchen Liang , Shulan Xu , An Li , Shuo Yang , Clinical implant dentistry and related research. Volume: 27, Issue: 4, 2025