Are We Prepared for Agentic Dentistry? Exploring the Impact of Autonomous Artificial Intelligence in Dental Care

Abstract

Autonomous artificial intelligence (AI), such as Medical Intelligence for Reasoning and Action and Articulate Medical Intelligence Explorer, represents an evolution in healthcare AI, extending its capabilities beyond task-specific decision support towards longitudinal clinical reasoning and patient management. Although these systems have been developed in medicine, they raise important questions regarding the future of oral healthcare. This perspective proposes agentic dentistry as a conceptual framework for considering how autonomous AI could eventually influence dental practice. We discuss the potential opportunities of agentic AI to enhance clinical decision-making, care coordination, continuity of care, and personalised treatment, while critically examining the scientific, ethical, educational, regulatory, and professional challenges associated with its translation into dentistry. Finally, we propose a research and policy agenda to support the responsible development of autonomous AI in oral healthcare. By initiating this discussion before widespread clinical adoption, dentistry can proactively shape the future integration of agentic AI.