Professor Emeritus, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, Director of Maxillofacial Prosthetics, Jonathan & Maxine Ferencz Advanced Education Program in Prosthodontics, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY; and Director, Maxillofacial Prosthetics, Department of Otolaryngology, Division of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Lenox Hill Hospital-Northwell Health, New York, NY.
J Prosthet Dent. 2024 Jun;131(6):1253.e1-1253.e34. doi: 10.1016/j.prosdent.2024.03.016. Epub 2024 May 13.
Maxillofacial prosthodontists were advanced digital technology (ADT) adopters early in the new Millennium. The past two decades saw a range of digital enablers emerge including digital imaging (internal and surface), digital surgical planning, digital functional assessment, subtractive and additive manufacturing, navigation, and robotics among others. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the latest ADT arrival that will be a challenging disruptive technology. ADT has served as a profound change agent in maxillofacial prosthodontics. The intent was to explore the process and level of ADT engagement in maxillofacial prosthodontics.
The purpose was twofold. Firstly, to explore maxillofacial prosthodontic engagement of ADT. Secondly, to develop a discussion document to assist the American Academy of Maxillofacial Prosthetics (AAMP) with establishing a collective awareness and considered opinion on the future of maxillofacial prosthodontics in the digital era.
AAMP member interest in ADT was assessed through analysis of AAMP annual congress programs and publications in the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry (JPD). The history of the maxillofacial prosthodontic journey to the digital era was undertaken with a selective literature review. The perceptions maxillofacial prosthodontists hold on ADT engagement was assessed through a survey of AAMP members. Developing an understanding of the influence AI was conducted with a review of pertinent literature.
From 2011-2020, an annual mean of 38% of papers published in the JPD involved clinical use of ADT. From 2017-2019, 44% of invited presentations at AAMP annual congresses included clinical use of ADT. The journey to the digital era distinguished three periods with formative and consolidation periods influencing the innovation digital era. The AAMP member survey had a 59% response rate and studied 10 domains through 31 questions. Of the respondents, 89% thought ADT important to the future of maxillofacial prosthodontics.
The discussion document will assist the AAMP in developing a collective consciousness and considered opinion on ADT in the future of maxillofacial prosthodontics. Members of the AAMP have a developed interest in clinical applications of ADT. A great challenge is that no formal education, training, or clinical competency requirements for ADT could be identified. Clinical competency requirements are important to prepare maxillofacial prosthodontics for the inevitability of a digital era future. The discussion document poses the fundamental question of whether maxillofacial prosthodontists will remain as passive end users of ADT and AI or will they become engaged knowledge workers that have determined clinical competency in ADT and AI in patient care. Without this knowledge worker role, maxillofacial prosthodontists may experience difficulty being part of the inevitable ADT-AI driven future.
早在新千年之际，颌面修复专家就已经采用了先进的数字技术（ADT）。在过去的二十年中，出现了一系列数字工具，包括数字成像（内部和表面）、数字手术规划、数字功能评估、减法和加法制造、导航和机器人技术等。人工智能（AI）是最新的 ADT 技术，将成为一项具有挑战性的颠覆性技术。ADT 一直是颌面修复学中的一个深远的变革因素。其目的是探讨颌面修复学中 ADT 的应用过程和水平。
本研究有两个目的。首先，探索颌面修复学中 ADT 的应用。其次，制定一份讨论文件，以帮助美国颌面修复学会（AAMP）就数字时代颌面修复学的未来建立集体意识和经过深思熟虑的观点。
通过分析 AAMP 年会计划和《修复牙科学杂志》（JPD）中的出版物，评估 AAMP 成员对 ADT 的兴趣。通过选择性文献回顾，研究了颌面修复学走向数字时代的历史。通过对 AAMP 成员的调查，评估了颌面修复专家对 ADT 参与的看法。通过审查相关文献，了解 AI 的影响。
2011 年至 2020 年，JPD 发表的论文中，每年平均有 38%涉及 ADT 的临床应用。2017 年至 2019 年，AAMP 年会上有 44%的特邀演讲包括 ADT 的临床应用。走向数字时代的历程分为三个阶段，形成期和巩固期影响着创新的数字时代。AAMP 成员调查的回复率为 59%，通过 31 个问题研究了 10 个领域。在受访者中，89%的人认为 ADT 对颌面修复学的未来很重要。
讨论文件将帮助 AAMP 就 ADT 在颌面修复学未来中的作用形成集体意识和经过深思熟虑的观点。AAMP 的成员对 ADT 的临床应用产生了浓厚的兴趣。一个巨大的挑战是，无法确定 ADT 的正式教育、培训或临床能力要求。临床能力要求对于为颌面修复学做好迎接数字时代未来的准备非常重要。讨论文件提出了一个基本问题，即颌面修复专家是继续作为 ADT 和 AI 的被动终端用户，还是成为参与的知识工作者，在患者护理中确定 ADT 和 AI 的临床能力。如果没有这种知识工作者的角色，颌面修复专家可能会发现自己很难成为 ADT-AI 驱动的未来的一部分。
