Artificial Intelligence in Orthodontics: Critical Review

Area of Science:

• Orthodontics
• Digital Health
• Artificial Intelligence

Background:

• Digitalization is automating orthodontic manufacturing processes like aligner production.
• Orthodontic treatment planning and evaluation remain complex, specialist-dependent tasks.
• Orthodontists utilize longitudinal, multimodal data for individualized treatment decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in orthodontics.
• To highlight AI's role in data extraction and decision support for orthodontists.
• To identify challenges in current AI research and clinical implementation in orthodontics.

Main Methods:

• Review of AI applications in orthodontic data analysis, including clinical imagery and intraoral scans.
• Analysis of AI's use in treatment decision support, such as orthognathic surgery or extraction planning.
• Examination of challenges in AI generalizability, data standardization, and clinical translation.

Main Results:

• AI assists in automated landmark detection, intraoral scan evaluation, and treatment decision support.
• Current AI research faces limitations due to unicentric data, bias, and lack of standardized outcomes.
• Few AI applications have achieved full clinical maturity and regulatory approval.

Conclusions:

• AI shows promise in enhancing orthodontic data analysis and treatment planning.
• Addressing challenges in data standardization and generalizability is crucial for AI's clinical adoption.
• Further research is needed for real-world evaluation and integration of AI into orthodontic workflows.