Artificial intelligence for orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning: A scoping review

Objectives: To provide an overview of artificial intelligence (AI) applications in orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning, and to evaluate whether AI improves accuracy, reliability, and time efficiency compared to expert-based manual approaches, while highlighting its current limitations.

Data: This review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist.

Sources: An electronic search was performed on PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase electronic databases. Additional studies were identified from Google Scholar and by hand searching through included studies. The search was carried out until June 2023 without restriction of language and publication year.

Study selection: After applying the selection criteria, 71 articles were included in the review. The main research areas were classified into three domains based on the purpose of AI: diagnostics (n = 29), landmark identification (n = 20) and treatment planning (n = 22).

Conclusion: This scoping review shows that AI can be used in various orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning applications, with anatomical landmark detection being the most studied domain. While AI shows potential in improving time efficiency and reducing operator variability, the accuracy and reliability have not yet consistently surpassed those of expert clinicians. At all moments, human supervision remains essential. Further advances and optimizations are necessary to strive towards automated patient-specific treatment planning.

Clinical significance: AI in orthodontics has shown its ability to serve as a decision-support system, thereby enhancing the efficiency of diagnostics and treatment planning within orthodontics digital workflow."