The next wave of dental innovations, including artificial Intelligence for diagnostics, new tools for minimally invasive dentistry, 3D printing advancements, and next generation materials, is set to make a phenomenal impact on practices of all types while expanding the horizons of dentistry.
These innovations can inspire dentists to expand treatment options, improve their reputations, and, most importantly, provide more effective patient care. Novel clinical and business applications aspire to make 2025 a year of progress. Here’s a look at 10 cutting-edge dental technologies set to make enhance dental practice.
Early Detection
AIOBIO’s Biofluorescence Detection Technology uses a safe and non-intrusive blue light to detect demineralization and biofilm that would be invisible to the naked eye. This real-time look at enamel health and oral hygiene can lead to early intervention for carious lesions and encourage patient compliance.
Perceptive has two interesting technologies coming to market in 2025. Their easy-to-use, handheld intraoral scanner uses advanced, non-invasive, light-based Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) to create high resolution cross-sectional images. OCT technology can capture 3D volumes of data below the gum line, through fluids, and under the tooth surface without using ionizing radiation. OCT has been shown to achieve an accuracy of 90% for caries detection.1 The cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) software creates 3D volumetric data for diagnostics and treatment planning, leading to earlier diagnoses with higher accuracy. With this visual aid, patients better understand their need for treatment acceptance as well as their need for compliance.
Perceptive also is developing a dental robotics system that can perform restorative procedures faster and more accurately than a human. Because safety is a priority in all new devices such as this, the robotics system is being designed and rigorously tested to work even within the most movement-heavy conditions.
Vigilant Biosciences’ goal is to catch oral cancers early. Approximately 72% of oral cancers get diagnosed at a late stage. That’s a frightening statistic as late detection gives the patient less than a 50% 5-year survival rate. Vigilant Biosciences developed a simple method of detecting oral cancer (soon to be FDA-approved) that can be done right in the dental office. Four drops of saliva are dropped on each side of a lateral flow cassette that looks like a COVID test. The cassette is put into a reader that generates a report in around 10 minutes. The test measures the exact concentration of three proteomic biomarkers—proteins that become elevated as tissue becomes cancerous. That information, together with clinical risk factors including gender, age, and tobacco and alcohol use, is analyzed by intelligent machine-learning software, to create a report that indicates whether the patient can be monitored or needs to be referred to a specialist. With approximately 25% to 30% of patients having an oral abnormality, it is important to know whether indicators such as leukoplakia, lichen planus, red spots, or white spots are signs of oral cancer. Early detection and treatment may be the difference between the patient’s life and death.
Improving Diagnosis and Treatment
DTX Studio™ uses AI to make imaging tasks and diagnostics easier and more thorough. AI software automatically sorts radiographic images, including 2D and 3D x-rays, and extraoral and intraoral photos according to the clinician’s preferences, even those that may be dragged and dropped in from a referring doctor. The AI separates, recognizes, numbers, sorts, rotates, and places the teeth in customizable preferences. The Smart Focus feature offers tooth-by-tooth navigation, and AI color-codes each tooth and tags it with a possible diagnosis. If the doctor disagrees with the AI diagnostic tag, it can be dismissed. The software also has workspaces for TMJ, endodontics, implant, and airway. AI can offer insights for choice of implant planning, free-handed or automated surgical guides, or navigated surgery. Partnerships with Sprint Ray, X-Guide, and patient engagement application Smile bring even more information to use in the practice. Saved files are available at every computer in the practice, and DTX Studio is compatible with most practice management systems, so patient identifying information only has to be entered once.
Diagnocat, soon to be introduced in the U.S., is an AI software platform for 2D and 3D imaging that can give clinicians insights into diagnostics, while building patient trust and reducing misdiagnoses. The AI model continually learns, and can analyze a large quantity of radiographic data much more accurately and quickly than a human. Diagnocat can detect more than 65 conditions, and screens for sinus and bone structure abnormalities, periapical lesions, and periodontal bone loss. The AI overlays the intraoral scan onto the CBCT for easier treatment planning and patient engagement. Diagnocat generates a report that can be included as back up on insurance claims, and also helps patients to better understand and trust the diagnosis, leading to greater case acceptance.
LightForce developed the first 100% customized digitally designed 3D printed orthodontic brackets with bases 3D printed to the patient’s individual prescription. Patient-specific indirect bonding trays hold the pre-loaded brackets that are an exact fit to each tooth. This can empower the clinical team to do the bonding, freeing up the clinician to do more treatment planning or new patient exams. Because the brackets are designed to achieve the clinician’s intended tooth movements, fewer and shorter appointments are needed.
OraCare developed a professional rinse as a replacement for chlorhexidine. OraCare rinse kills the same bacteria without chlorhexidine’s side effects. It is non-staining, causes no additional calculus buildup, no burning, has a good taste, and can be used long term. The ingredients kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi, break up biofilm, reduce volatile sulfur compounds, and reduce bad breath. It also encourages remineralization of dental enamel, lessens sensitivity, prevents caries, supports the protective properties of saliva, preserves gum health, helps heal sores, increases salivary flow, and improves dry mouth and breath quality. Adding this rinse to a patient’s daily routine can significantly improve overall oral health.
Perimetrics, Inc, an advanced AI dental diagnostics company, developed a handheld, wireless handpiece, called InnerView®, for detecting cracks and failing restorations. As part of an Implant Maintenance Revenue Program, the device allows clinicians to measure the quality of osseointegration, track the health history of implants, and know when they can restore implants earlier after a 2-second scan. The device also can detect movement of a tooth or implant. The system applies 4 light taps to detect micro movements invisible to other diagnostic tools. Data from each InnerView measurement is sent to cloud-based algorithms, and appears almost real-time on the user interface, providing a better understanding of potential issues.
iDentical is changing the paradigm of implant dentistry with the first drill-free, patient-specific, 3D-printed dental implants. By leveraging 3D scanning and CAD/CAM technology, a patient-specific, one-piece dental implant can be modeled from the patient’s own tooth root and then 3D-printed in titanium with unique design features. Within 7 days of a tooth extraction, any dentist can easily place the iDentical implant into the existing bony socket site without drilling. This minimally invasive approach is bone and tissue friendly while also reducing the risk of errors and nerve injury, because no osteotomy is required to place the implant. In addition, the iDentical workflow is a simplified, faster procedure as the one-piece, patient-specific implant design eliminates multiple components required to place screw-form dental implants. iDentical has completed its first-in-human clinical trial with 100% success after 2 years of follow-up and has begun their US pivotal clinical study with promising results.
Improved Practice Management
DentalBee is an AI-powered, customizable dental scribe that streamlines dental documentation, audio, and notes 1 place. It can generate customized comprehensive notes accurately with consistency across the team. The simple, fast, and secure process allows for using note templates with adaptive learning to minimize repetition, and it tracks performance indicators on a dashboard to help with informed decisions. For the team, DentalBee cuts down on documentation time, making more time for patients or office tasks. In case of disputes or malpractice claims, this comprehensive and consistent scribe can provide readily available concrete and complete evidence.
In a recent podcast, Marko Vujicic, PhD, chief economist and vice president of the ADA Health Policy institute said, “I feel like a golden era is coming for oral health.” I heartily agree. Innovations in technology are and will continue to encourage individualized treatment, more precise diagnostics, and more case acceptance, inspiring clinicians to expand their reach and increase the value of dental care.
References
1. 1. Shimada, Y., Burrow, M.F., Araki, K. et al. 3D imaging of proximal caries in posterior teeth using optical coherence tomography. Sci Rep 10, 15754 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-72838-2
