Artificial intelligence will help increase the comfort of dentists' work | Gdańsk University of Technology

The project was started in 2020. The final result of the work will be a device in the form of a small webcam cooperating with dental tips. The camera will allow the dentist to observe the tooth closely and in real time during the dental procedure. The device will allow the doctor to work more precisely in hard-to-reach places, which will shorten the time of the procedure and potentially reduce the pain associated with it.

– Artificial intelligence algorithms will improve the quality of the video signal observed by the dentist, and will support the dentist in navigating the hard to recognize internal tooth structures during the procedure – explains PhD Daniel Węsierski, R&D manager in the project. – The research team faces many technological challenges. When preparing the tooth with a drill, In the oral cavity there is a high risk of contamination of the microcamera lens. Therefore, our task is to develop a method that will protect the microcamera lens from artifacts. Moreover, clinical operating conditions require that the device is sterile.

The developed solution will have a positive impact not only on the patient, but also on the comfort of dentists' work and will increase its ergonomics. Degenerations and diseases of the locomotor system are a common problem of this professional group. The adoption of a more ergonomic posture by the dentist, the reduction of the time spent on a single patient, or the need for fewer corrections will be significant benefits.

– The idea of came from a dentist friend who, taking into account the limitations of working in a patient’s mouth, instilled a vision of a device that can minimize them - recalls Damian Siupka-Mróz, member of the Management Board of Master Level Technologies, one of the initiators of the project. - It took us about a month to develop the device in the 'proof of concept' version. Thanks to this model, we understood that such device is possible and can actually bring a completely new functionality into the dentist's daily work. So far, we have managed to develop general image parameters, determine the geometry of the system, implement the main assumptions regarding electronics and start working on algorithms that will improve the operation of the system.

Ultimately, the product is to be implemented in the activities of Master Level Technologies Ltd. and will be sold in Poland and the European Union as a ready-made solution for dentists. Academics from the ETI Faculty of Gdańsk University of Technology who are involved in the work on the project include: PhD, Eng. Daniel Węsierski (Project R&D Manager), PhD, Eng. Anna Węsierska (head of the project team), professor Jacek Rumiński (head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering) and PhD, Eng. Paweł Rościszewski.