ROBOTS ANDAUTOMATION IN DENTISTRY

Robots are poised to revolutionize the practice of medicine. Artificial intelligence, miniaturization, and computer power are contributing to the rise in design and use of robots in medicine.

Medical robots had their start about 34 years ago when an industrial robot and computed tomography navigation were used to insert a probe into the brain to obtain a biopsy specimen. This was followed by a number of robots that were capable of certain urological procedures and total hip arthroplasty. These fully autonomous robots, however, were not favored by surgeons and subsequent robots were designed to be slaves to surgeon masters.

Today, medical robots are well known for their roles in surgery, specifically the use of robots, computers and software to accurately manipulate surgical instruments through one or more small incisions for various surgical procedures.

A 3-D high-definition magnified view of the surgical field enables the surgeon to operate with high precision and control. One instrument, da Vinci, approved by the FDA in 2000, is said to have been used to perform over 6 million surgeries, worldwide. Patient benefits from robot-assisted surgery are largely those associated with the laparoscopic approach — smaller incisions, reduced blood loss, and faster recovery. Long-term surgical outcomes don’t appear to be different from those of traditional surgery and the system has occasional malfunction. Surgeons benefit from improved ergonomics and dexterity in comparison with traditional laparoscopy.

Major drawbacks are high cost and the need for training of surgeons and the surgical team. The base price of a da Vinci system is upwards of $1 million.