AAAI-D Global Dental AI Update
This update summarizes selected developments in artificial intelligence relevant to oral healthcare, including global initiatives, recent publications, education, workforce development, and Academy activities.
Global Developments
AI at the FDI World Dental Congress
The 2026 FDI World Dental Congress will be held September 4–7 in Prague, Czech Republic. The scientific program includes artificial intelligence, digital dentistry, and emerging technologies among its major areas of focus.
The congress also notes that AI-powered live translation will be available across scientific sessions in up to 15 languages. That is notable because AI is not only part of the scientific content; it is also being used to support multilingual access to professional education.
Sources:
https://2026.world-dental-congress.org/scientific-programme
https://2026.world-dental-congress.org/registration
Oral Health in the WHO/ITU/WIPO AI for Health Initiative
The WHO/ITU/WIPO Global Initiative on AI for Health includes a Topic Group on Oral Health. The group describes its work as focused on AI-driven strategies for prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, standards development, benchmarking, clinical implementation, workforce training, and global collaboration.
The Topic Group’s 2026 annual meeting is scheduled for September 7–9 in Munich, with a focus on AI in oral health. The activity places dentistry within wider health AI governance and standards discussions rather than limiting dental AI to specialty-specific conversations.
Sources:
https://www.who.int/initiatives/global-initiative-on-ai-for-health
https://www.lmu-klinikum.de/zep/forschung/tg-oral-health-english/f3344064dd47a4ac
Research Highlights
AI-Assisted Dental Implant Planning
A 2026 PubMed-indexed systematic review by Zaman and colleagues examined the use of artificial intelligence in planning dental implant procedures. The review focused on AI-assisted planning, including use of CBCT imaging and deep learning models to support anatomical assessment and treatment planning.
The review reported that AI-assisted planning may improve efficiency and support implant-planning workflows. It also reinforces a key shift in dental AI research: movement from image interpretation alone toward treatment-planning support. These applications require careful validation because they may affect surgical decision-making, not simply diagnostic screening.
Source:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42187626/
AI-Mediated Teledentistry for Aging Populations
Shayan Ali Mosaddad published “Artificial Intelligence-Mediated Teledentistry for Ageing Populations” in International Dental Journal. The article examines how AI could support home-based oral care for older adults through remote assessment, communication support, patient monitoring, and care coordination.
The article is useful because it moves the AI discussion away from diagnosis alone. For aging populations, the practical challenge is often access: mobility limitations, caregiver coordination, transportation barriers, and difficulty maintaining regular preventive care. AI-mediated teledentistry is presented as one possible support layer within that care model.
Source:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42235409/
Large Language Models in Dental Education
Celine Sheng and colleagues at UTHealth School of Dentistry published a cross-sectional survey in Frontiers in Digital Health on LLM-based AI use among faculty, residents, dental students, and dental hygiene students. The study included 243 respondents.
The authors found that 66% of faculty and 73% of students reported using LLM-based AI tools, primarily for writing and educational tasks. Students were more likely to view the tools as beneficial, while faculty expressed stronger demand for AI training.
The finding is practical for dental schools. AI use is already occurring in educational settings, whether formally taught or not. That makes curriculum design, responsible-use guidance, assessment policies, and faculty development immediate issues rather than future planning topics.
Source:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/digital-health/articles/10.3389/fdgth.2026.1786363/full
Automated Dental Report Generation
Madeline Yon, Ethan Ng, and Michael M. Bornstein published a scoping review in Frontiers in Oral Health on AI applications in automated dental report generation. The article was published June 2, 2026.
The authors identified 1,265 records and included seven studies. Six studies focused on radiology report generation from panoramic radiographs, and one generated clinical examination reports from voice-transcribed charting. The review found promising performance for common findings, but also noted variation in datasets, languages, report types, and evaluation methods.
This is an important documentation topic. AI-generated reports may eventually reduce administrative burden and improve consistency, but the evidence base remains early. The review specifically points to the need for standardized evaluation, larger multilingual datasets, and assessment of patient comprehension before routine implementation.
Source:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oral-health/articles/10.3389/froh.2026.1817718/full
AI and Oral Cancer Diagnosis
A PubMed-indexed article titled “Artificial Intelligence in Oral Cancer Diagnosis” was published May 15, 2026. The article reports bibliometric mapping of AI research activity in oral cancer diagnosis.
The topic remains clinically important because earlier identification and referral of suspicious lesions can affect outcomes. The article describes interdisciplinary growth in the field, including imaging analysis, lesion classification, risk assessment, and decision-support research.
The practical limitation is that research activity does not equal clinical readiness. AI tools for oral cancer diagnosis will need prospective validation, diverse datasets, and clear clinical workflows before they can be used responsibly in routine care.
Source:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42138315/
Key Takeaways
- AI research in dentistry is expanding beyond radiographic detection into treatment planning, remote care, documentation, education, and workflow support.
- AI adoption is increasing across dental education and professional training environments.
- Governance, standards, and implementation frameworks are becoming increasingly important as AI moves into routine clinical use.
- International collaboration around AI in oral health continues to grow.
Standards and Governance
Artificial intelligence standards development continues to gain momentum across healthcare, including dentistry. AAAI-D continues to participate in ongoing discussions related to AI transparency, implementation, and responsible adoption within oral healthcare settings.
Current efforts include development of a proposed standard addressing software model fact labeling and transparency considerations for AI systems used in dentistry. As AI tools become increasingly integrated into clinical practice, standards development will play an important role in supporting transparency, consistency, and informed decision-making across the profession.
Representatives from AAAI-D are also expected to participate in broader international discussions on AI in oral health later this year, reflecting growing collaboration across organizations working to advance responsible implementation and governance.
AAAI-D Initiatives & Opportunities
State of Dental AI in the United States Survey Underway
AAAI-D has launched the State of Dental AI in the United States Survey to better understand how artificial intelligence is being used across dental practice, education, research, and industry.
The survey explores adoption patterns, perceived benefits, implementation challenges, barriers to implementation, workforce considerations, and future priorities. The initiative is intended to provide a clearer picture of how AI is being integrated into oral healthcare and where additional education, evidence, and guidance may be needed.
Whether an organization is actively using AI, evaluating AI solutions, or has chosen not to adopt AI technologies, all perspectives are encouraged.
Aggregate findings are expected to be shared later this year and will help inform future educational programming, research initiatives, and broader discussions regarding responsible implementation of AI in dentistry. Preliminary findings are expected to be presented at the Buffalo Niagara Dental Meeting in November 2026, with additional analysis and reporting to follow.
More information:
https://www.aaai-d.org
July 14 Educational Program
AAAI-D’s next virtual educational program will be held on July 14, 2026. The program will explore current applications of artificial intelligence across oral healthcare, including clinical use cases, workflow integration, implementation considerations, and emerging developments affecting practitioners, educators, and healthcare organizations.
Participants who complete the program will receive an AAAI-D Certificate of Participation documenting educational hours completed. These hours may be applied toward applicable AAAI-D Fellowship educational requirements.
More information:
https://www.aaai-d.org
Fellowship Applications Opening July 1
AAAI-D Fellowship is intended to recognize sustained contributions to the advancement of artificial intelligence in dentistry through scholarship, education, leadership, service, research, innovation, and professional engagement.
Multiple pathways will be available to reflect the diverse ways individuals contribute to the profession and the responsible advancement of AI in oral healthcare. Fellowship pathways and application materials are scheduled to be released on July 1, 2026.
More information:
https://www.aaai-d.org
Get Involved
Abstract submissions for the 2027 AAAI-D Annual Meeting in Los Angeles are expected to open soon. Members and non-members interested in presenting research, educational initiatives, implementation experiences, quality improvement projects, case studies, or innovations related to AI in oral healthcare are encouraged to watch for submission details.
In addition, AAAI-D continues to welcome member participation across educational, research, outreach, and Annual Meeting initiatives. Individuals interested in supporting the Academy’s mission through volunteer service are encouraged to explore future opportunities as they become available.
More information:
https://www.aaai-d.org
Upcoming Dates
July 1, 2026
AAAI-D Fellowship Applications Open
July 14, 2026
AAAI-D Virtual Educational Program
November 6, 2026
Buffalo Niagara Dental Meeting – AAAI-D Educational Program and Roundtable
July 9, 2027
AAAI-D Annual Meeting
Los Angeles, California
More information:
https://www.aaai-d.org
References & Further Reading
FDI World Dental Congress 2026 Scientific Programme
https://2026.world-dental-congress.org/scientific-programme
FDI World Dental Congress 2026 Registration / AI Translation
https://2026.world-dental-congress.org/registration
WHO Global Initiative on AI for Health
https://www.who.int/initiatives/global-initiative-on-ai-for-health
ITU/WHO/WIPO Topic Group Oral Health
https://www.lmu-klinikum.de/zep/forschung/tg-oral-health-english/f3344064dd47a4ac
Zaman et al. — AI-Assisted Dental Implant Planning
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42187626/
Mosaddad — AI-Mediated Teledentistry for Aging Populations
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42235409/
Sheng et al. — Large Language Models in Dental Education
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/digital-health/articles/10.3389/fdgth.2026.1786363/full
Yon, Ng, and Bornstein — Automated Dental Report Generation
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oral-health/articles/10.3389/froh.2026.1817718/full
Artificial Intelligence in Oral Cancer Diagnosis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42138315/
American Academy of Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry®
https://www.aaai-d.org