Artificial intelligence has the potential to reduce longstanding racial and socioeconomic disparities in oral health care, according to experts. Despite decades of calls to action, significant inequities persist in dental health outcomes and access to care, particularly for low-income, uninsured, and racial and ethnic minority populations.
“Dentistry has an opportunity to embrace AI and chart the course for other areas of medicine in reducing health disparities,” the authors write in JAMA Health Forum. They cite several ways AI could expand access and improve care:
– Automating administrative tasks to encourage more dentists to treat underserved groups
– Empowering mid-level providers like dental therapists in shortage areas
– Enabling teledentistry to reach remote communities
– Improving oral health literacy through tailored information
However, the authors caution that AI tools must be developed and deployed carefully to avoid perpetuating existing biases. “There is a higher risk of reinforcing disparities through algorithmic bias and unequal access to AI-enabled technologies,” they warn.
Currently, over 75 million Americans live in dental professional shortage areas. Racial and ethnic minorities face a higher burden of dental disease and more barriers to care.
The authors call for collaboration between clinicians, researchers, industry, and regulators to ensure AI advances oral health equitably. They stress that dental education must prepare future providers to use AI responsibly in clinical practice.
“Dental professionals must first commit to sharing the responsibility of safeguarding the use of AI to improve oral health for all,” the authors conclude.
See “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Address Oral Health Disparities” (April 19, 2024)
