OPINION:
A new survey says dental patients, by and large, don’t want to see a white-coated robot wielding a drill any time soon — but they will take a ’bot before human for certain procedures, particularly if it saves them money.
A robot as dentist?
Hmm. Not a bad idea — unless, of course, you’re one of the bazillions of the world who absolutely fears the dentist chair, to the point of putting off even the most routine of appointments until the very last, oft-off-putting painful second. For these people, every professional dental office visit reminds them of the “Little Shop of Horrors” movie moments with actor-comedian Steve Martin, a.k.a. the Mouth Butcher. Can you say scream a little louder, please?
But the wheels of technology slow for no one. So here we stand, on the cusp of yet another scientific advancement, this time, in the field of dentistry. It may be a ways away but nevertheless, get ready for the robots — and given the speed by which the fields of artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics are progressing, that’s a real like-it-or-not warning.
In other words, be prepared.
In an online survey of 502 people, researchers with the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University found that 51 percent of the participants were “moderately or opposed to robotic dentistry” in general, and 66 percent in particular for invasive procedures such as root canals and gum surgery.
But — and this is a big But: 83 percent said they’d accept a robot for teeth cleaning and whitening if they were given a half-off discount.
That’s a pretty significant showing.
What it says is that the walls of robotic-human relations are steadily coming down. And what it means is if industry insiders and technology types want to hasten the process, the means to that end is to offer financial incentives.
The technology itself, while far from finished, is already advancing.
“In 2017,” a EurekAlert press release read, “a robotic dentist in China fitted two dental implants into a woman’s mouth. In addition, a Miami, Fla.-based company, Neocis, announced last year that it had received clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to introduce a robotically assisted dental surgical system called Yomi.”
Now all that’s needed is some marketing magic.
“Consumers help drive what is acceptable with automation, and healthcare is no exception,” said Embrey-Riddle graduate student Emily Anania, who helped present the findings of the robotic dentist survey at the 2018 International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Healthcare in Boston, in a written statement.
Quite right. All the technology in the world won’t matter if patients won’t partake.
But when it comes to robotic dentists, even with financial savings as an incentive, the image of a metal arm holding a metal drill may be too tough for fear-filled patients to take. Perhaps the better technology development here is a toothbrush with the cleaning power and artificial intelligence of a robotic dental hygienist. It’s a win-win-win; the techies get their tech, the dental office can profit from the brush sales; and the patients get the clean, without the fear — minus the menacing metal arm.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley.
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