Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1472872
15 BECKER'S DENTAL + DSO REVIEW // VOL. 2022 NO. 2 CLINICAL CARE Robotics 'scratching the surface' in dentistry and digging deeper By Ariana Portalatin and Riz Hatton A lthough several medical specialties have become well versed with robotic technology for surgical planning and performance, dentistry has only touched the tip of the iceberg. The Yomi is the first and only FDA-cleared robot-assisted dental surgery system in the U.S. and is being used in dental implant procedures. Although more than 100 Yomi robots are in use nationwide, only three dental schools — Boston University Hen- ry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, West Virginia Uni- versity School of Dentistry and New York University College of Dentistry — are using it. Alon Mozes, PhD, co-founder and CEO of Neocis, the robot's manufacturer, said he and his partner, co-founder Juan Sal- cedo, came up with the idea to create a dental robot during their time at robotics company Mako before it was acquired by Stryker in 2013, when they saw the success of the technology in orthopedics. Mozes said his company is "just scratching the surface" in den- tistry and there are opportunities for growth in the field, to which dentists have been open. "The stereotype of the dentist is that they tend to be slower to adopt new things [and] technology hasn't really hit the dental market, but it's just not true anymore," Mozes said. "Dentists are eager to adopt new technology, especially dentists that par- ticipate in this area of implant surgery. It's really such a high revenue opportunity [and] growing market for them that they're eager to differentiate their practice and figure out how to level up their skills." Several dentists recently debuted Yomi at their practices, in- cluding Robert Payne, DDS, who was the first in Southwest Flori- da to offer robotic tooth implant surgery, and David Yang, DMD, who gave himself a dental implant using the robot. "Less discomfort, better accuracy," Dr. Yang told azfamily.com. "Those are all the things that as much as I would like to say I'm good at, I could never do exactly what this machine does." Robert Glickman, DMD, associate dean for clinical affairs and hospital relations and chair of the oral and maxillofacial surgery department at the NYU College of Dentistry, said the robot pro- vides an important training opportunity for students by allow- ing them to become experienced in robotic surgery by the time they enter the field. "People with little experience, if they initially learn on the robot, Image Credit: Adobe Stock