Patients more likely to accept robotic dentistry for non-invasive procedures

You're waiting to get your teeth cleaned, half-dozing in a chair with your mouth propped open when a robot appears to do the job. Would you be willing to undergo a dental cleaning performed by a robot? How about a root canal? Autonomous gum surgery, anyone? In an online survey of 502 individuals , participants were "significantly less willing to undergo more invasive procedures, such as gum surgery and a root canal, and significantly more willing to undergo procedures such as tooth cleaning or whitening performed by a robot," said Stephen Rice, associate professor of human factors at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.