ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND VIRTUAL REALITY USE IN HEALTHCARE AND ORAL DISEASE PREVENTION

Artificial intelligence and virtual reality tools are chan­ging the healthcare experience for both patients and me­dical professionals. As the technology gets more affor­dable, it will be more and more widely adopted while more immersive technologies will come to the forefront.

Methods – Analisis of scientific literature.

Results. There is a lack of mobile applications monitoring the periodontal status of patients and updating the den­tist or the patient about dental health during the interval between visits. Virtual reality tools are being widely used for pain control in adult patients and children, as well as in surgery, rehabilitation, and psychiatry. Scientific study results have shown positive patient experiences towards the use of tele dentistry in oral health care. Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers should consider adapting patient pathways and using telehealth as a method of consultation in the recovery planning of services, as well as to reduce the spread of this highly transmissible disease. Increased self-efficacy and encou­raged better individual dental hygiene is expected, be­cause patients will be constantly reminded to take care of their oral health.

Conclusions. Technology innovations can potentially improve health behaviour and tooth brushing quality in children and adult persons and increase self-awareness in health. Innovative means need to be designed to achieve long-term, sustained improvements in health promotion. Future research should continue to evaluate mobile ap­plications as part of intervention approaches to improve health behaviour and outcomes in vulnerable populations.