Applications, connected objects, teleconsultation, electronic health records or online appointment booking... New information and communication technologies are already part of our daily lives are already part of our daily lives and are transforming the way we approach and practice medicine. While some fear that they will change the way we treat patients, others consider them an opportunity for the practice of medicine. We take stock.

E-health: the future of medicine is already here

There is no point in burying our heads in the sand: new technologies are all around us. By automating certain laborious tasks and freeing up doctors' time, they allow them to concentrate on typically medical work, to train, to do research, to develop listening skills and empathy, ... For patients, they offer better information, follow-up and support. Here are some examples of these new technologies that make up "e-health":

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• Mobile applications: From booking appointments to monitoring treatment, from collecting patient opinions to preventing back pain... there is an application for almost everything. If used properly, they can save a lot of administrative time and help maintain good relations with patients.

• Telehealth: These are all health services - diagnosis, treatment, education, awareness, prevention, self-care - that can be accessed remotely, especially through mobile applications. Patients and physicians are increasingly using teleconsultation platforms, appointment booking, or online test results. These services are particularly useful in times of COVID-19, but also and above all to take care of people who are isolated, have reduced mobility or live in areas with a low number of doctors.

• Connected objects: Blood pressure monitors, oximeters, blood glucose meters, pillboxes, scales... all these objects exist in a "connected" version. They allow to follow and monitor certain aspects of the patient's health in a gentle, non-intrusive way. Some of these objects can even deliver a treatment, like the connected insulin pump.

• Health record management software: The Shared Medical Record project seems to be definitively buried, but a new national system will be open to all users in early 2022: theDigital Health Space. In addition, there are private platforms for managing "electronic" health records.

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New technologies facilitate the work of practitioners and the lives of patients. To face the challenges they represent, there are only two imperatives: get informed and get trained!

An exceptional resource for medicine

Twenty-five years after the first predictive and decision support models in dentistry appeared, AI has improved a lot technically. It has even become a recognized method for identifying a patient at risk of developing oral cancer. But its contribution goes far beyond this type of diagnosis. Here are some examples of its recent applications:

• Patient management: "Intelligent virtual assistants" can now help the dentist organize patient files by performing tasks such as scheduling appointments and providing information. They then provide analytical assistance to the practitioner in establishing the diagnosis and treatment plan by highlighting certain elements in the patient's file.
  

• Orthodontics: AI is now used throughout the orthodontic treatment pathway. This is one of the major advances of the last few years. Using 3D acquisition scanners, practitioners can assess anomalies, and build custom braces. Using a predictive model of the size of the unerupted teeth, the AI then decides which pressures and directions to apply to each tooth, reducing errors and treatment time.

• Radiology: Coupled with imaging systems such as MRI or cone beam (CBCT), AI can identify minute structural deviations invisible to the human eye. Professionals in the field use it to diagnose proximal caries or to locate abnormal lymph nodes.

• Prosthetics: The use of AI for the design and positioning of prostheses is also a great advance CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing) has made restorations more precise and is now used to manufacture crowns, bridges, inlays or onlays thanks to processes such as 3D printing. AI has thus largely replaced the "traditional" method of producing implants, reducing work time and errors.

• Periodontics: AI models can now detect periodontitis and classify patients according to the aggressiveness or chronicity of the condition.

• Robotics: The example of the dental chair is surely among the most representative of the beneficial use of AI in dentistry. In fact, AI has totally transformed the dental chair from a conventional hydraulic version to a fully electric and sensor-operated version. Recently, they can even be activated by voice commands, saving the practitioner's gestures and limiting the risks of contamination. The day is not far off when dental chairs will be able to measure the weight, vital signs or anxiety level of patients who come to sit in them.

AI innovation: US and China lead, Europe lags behind

Let's face it: AI is still very far from being able to "replicate" human intelligence. For the moment, the algorithms that compose it can only make decisions on the basis of simple cases, in defined domains. Nevertheless, humans must conscientiously monitor and judge the results obtained by the AI, to correct them if necessary. Indeed, as AI grows in our lives and as algorithmic architectures become more complex, the risks of bias and uncontrolled or malicious use become more prevalent. Many working groups are addressing the ethical issues that arise from AI, particularly in terms of data use and protection.

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If properly controlled, AI represents a phenomenal opportunity in a wide range of fields, especially medicine. In fact, AI and the new technologies it brings will play - and are already playing - an important role in the evolution of diagnostic and therapeutic methods.

With the exponential increase in computer computing capacity, medical research is accelerating. Every day, it analyzes more and more information, files or imaging results. Thus, new technologies appear almost daily. Robots will be at the forefront of new technologies that can be used in medicine. Moreover, they already assist many surgeons and perform, for example, remote operations. 3D printing also has a bright future ahead of it.

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In short, new technologies are already part of the medical ecosystem and are destined to develop, to improve care paths and the daily life of doctors.

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