Ready to be taught by robots?

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Posted by: Dental Design 8th July 2022

Regular readers will know that I’ve discussed the use of robotics in dentistry several times over the past year. The last occasion was back in February, in response to the news that one robotic system, Yomi, had just hit the milestone of placing 10,000 dental implants. I took a pragmatic approach, predicting that, in the future, we’d see more collaboration between dentists – with their human touch and finely-tuned clinical skills – and robotics, which offer improved accuracy and speed. A progressive, productive relationship that could give us and our patients the best of both worlds.

Now here we are just months later, with the newest robot innovation making headlines outside the dental press. The Pedia_Roid is a lifelike doll, which according to its manufactures will realistically mimic the reactions and behaviours of a child patient who is nervous of receiving dental treatment. Developed in Tokyo, Japan (where else?) by a dental school and robotics company and designed as a training aid, the Pedia_Roid stands at 5ft 1in, and is controlled via a tablet which stimulates movement and various responses. The robot is able to display physical reactions, from changes to facial expression and complexion, to flailing arms and legs. As well as having the ability to imitate symptoms like crying and vomiting, the doll also secretes artificial saliva. To see it in action, you can find a clip of the Pedia_Roid in all its glory on YouTube (watch if you dare!)

Coverage in the non-dental press may have used words like “creepy”– and I can see why a 5ft vomiting robot could be the stuff of nightmares – but the Pedia_Roid does offer a solution to the problem of the lack of training dentists receive in treating children. The robot reacts both unpredictably – it can sneeze and cough – as well as to situations that would cause human pain. With the Pedia_Roid, students can practise dealing with different kinds of emergency and get the chance to learn from their failures. If there are limited opportunities to gain experience working with children, technology is on hand to fill the gap.

Despite some signs of previous improvement, the pandemic led to a decline in children’s oral health status. Dentists can expect to be seeing more paediatric patients for treatment, many of whom will be scared and nervous. Sadly, at over £150,000 per robot, it’s unlikely that every student dentist will be training with a Pedia_Roid any time soon, but the possibilities are undeniably exciting.

The delivery of consistently high-quality care requires a commitment to lifelong learning and being open to exploring new opportunities offered by the latest technologies, as well as materials and techniques. Robotics as a means to facilitate better training and education is an example of how we should think “collaborate” and “integrate”, not “replace”. Just as I said in February, there is no substitute for human skills. Although I think we’re a long way off from being taught by robots, the Pedia_Roid shows how the power of technology could be harnessed to improve treatment delivery and raise levels of oral health.

As we’re barely half-way through 2022, and we’ve already covered robotics twice, I dare not predict where we could be when the year ends! But for now, as technology seems to be evolving before our eyes, let’s see where this latest development will take us. Just don’t have nightmares…