Webinar “How AI could reshape our practice in endodontics ?”

Raphaël Richert is currently an Associate Professor and Hospital Practitioner in the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics at Lyon Dental University. His research focuses on artificial intelligence and its legal and ethical implications in dentistry. Prior to this position, he maintained a private practice limited to endodontics and also holds an engineering degree as well as a three‑years full-time specialization program in oral medicine.

Summary

Opening any journal today, it is nearly impossible to avoid articles mentioning artificial intelligence. Even in the high ranked medical journals, headlines proclaim a revolution: AI detects caries earlier, optimizes treatment success rates, and is claimed to be more empathetic than physicians. But is it really that straightforward? Will we genuinely be replaced by AI-boosted robots?
Far from being magical or automatic, every AI-integrated tool remains a tool. Like any new instrument in clinical practice, understanding its underlying mechanisms is essential to know when and how to use it appropriately, before, during, and after patient treatment.
Moreover, AI tools must comply with two levels of regulation: medical device regulations and the EU AI Act, specifically dedicated to AI systems. Beyond technical and regulatory aspects, AI raises ethical questions unlike previous innovations and redefines the role and competencies of the endodontist:

• Where lies the true clinical value of the specialist?
• What represents our genuine added value?
• What can be delegated to an assistant or robotic system?

While there is no doubt that AI tools will support our practice, the timing and manner of their integration requires careful deliberation. For this reason, clinical societies are progressively developing guidelines and checklists to help practitioners make informed decisions about if, when, and how to integrate these tools effectively.

Aims and Objectives:

This webinar will provide key elements on technical, legal, and regulatory aspects surrounding the use of AI tools in endodontics within the European Union.
The principal objectives are to:

• Recognize and classify AI systems based on the technology used, and understand the potential clinical benefits associated with each system type.
• Identify associated risks of AI implementation and anticipate regulatory constraints inherent to new medical devices, as well as compliance requirements under the EU AI Act.
• Understand ethical implications posed by AI use in endodontics, the consequences of patient trust erosion following system errors, and promote transparent and explainable AI workflows in clinical practice

Plan

1. Technical Foundations & Knowledge on AI Systems(Ourang et al. 2024 Jul)(Lafourcade et al. 2025)
2. Potential Applications & Clinical Transformations (Aminoshariae et al. 2021)
3. Legal Considerations & Regulatory Requirements (Ducret et al. 2024)
4. Ethical Impacts & Risk (Mörch et al. 2021)