C.E. Credit. Embracing Precision and Data Science in Dentistry

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines precision medicine (previously referred to as personalized medicine) as “an emerging approach for disease treatment and prevention that takes into account individual variability in genes, environment and lifestyle.” Advances in precision medicine presage similar progress in dentistry and will be increasingly harnessed to improve dental care. This article discusses some of the ongoing and projected developments in health information technology, clinical diagnosis frameworks, biomedicine and biotechnology and highlights their current and future applications in precision dentistry. Innovations in artificial intelligence, machine learning, high-throughput sequencing and other molecular techniques (e.g., genomics, metabolomics, pharmacogenomics and transcriptomics) may be fully incorporated into the clinic within the next few decades. Nevertheless, it is imperative to understand that while technology usage can enhance the rate at which clinical success can be achieved, it does not equate to or guarantee clinical success. As dentistry transitions toward a data-augmented model that customizes treatment options, including preventive care, precision dentistry will continue to benefit from advances in many fields to improve health care delivery and clinical outcomes.