Transforming Maxillofacial Prosthodontics with Artificial Intelligence

Maxillofacial trauma and craniofacial defects present a significant global health challenge, impacting patient respiration, mastication, speech, and psychosocial well-being. Prosthetic rehabilitation plays a crucial role in restoring oral and facial functions, improving esthetics, and enhancing the overall quality of life for these patients. Although digital dentistry has enhanced accuracy and efficiency in this field, limitations persist regarding precision, consistency, and complete personalization. This chapter examines the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), encompassing machine learning, deep learning, and large language models, to revolutionize maxillofacial prosthodontics across various stages, from diagnosis to patient care. AI-driven radiographic interpretation and automated segmentation, 3D facial analysis, speech assessment, and clinical decision support showcase promising applications. Craniofacial applications exhibit diagnostic accuracies exceeding 90% and postoperative outcome prediction rates up to 98%. AI facilitates predictive analytics for treatment planning, virtual surgical planning, and automated CAD/CAM processes, including generative models for anatomical reconstruction. AI-guided coloration, texturing, and additive manufacturing accelerate prosthesis fabrication, enhancing esthetic outcomes and reducing delivery times. Despite these advancements, challenges remain, including limited datasets, generalizability issues, the need for explainable AI, potential bias, privacy concerns, workflow integration complexities, and the requirement for standardized validation through clinical trials. Responsible AI implementation holds the potential to improve precision, efficiency, and personalization, ultimately enhancing patient function, esthetics, and quality of life in maxillofacial rehabilitation, while maintaining clinician oversight.