Sir, we are writing to commend the interesting insights shared in a recently published letter.1 While artificial intelligence (AI) has undoubtedly improved the dental field, the question remains as to whether it can replace dentists? AI tools, with a high degree of accuracy, can diagnose caries,2 periodontal disease,3 and oral cancer4 through dental images and radiographs. This can be proven useful for dentists, in providing effective treatments by accelerating the diagnosis process.

Nevertheless, it is critical to identify the limits of AI in the dental field; it is a valuable tool, not a substitute for human skills. Dentists communicate, empathise, and provide individualised care for patients, not only diagnose and provide treatment. They build confidence with their patients and offer emotional care, whilst providing services that are commonly conceived as stressful. While AI is dominant in its technical abilities, it lacks the basic human touch that allows it to bond with patients personally. Moreover, dentists form treatment plans taking several factors into consideration apart from the facts of oral health. These include the patient's socioeconomic status, environmental conditions, preferences and overall health. AI lacks the ethical judgement and concern needed for such decisions to be made, making it unfit to totally replace dentists. According to Bornstein,5 while dentists cannot be replaced by AI, those who take advantage of it will replace those who do not.