In China, a robot was able to perform dental surgery all on its own.

As reported by South China Morning Post, while medical staff still observed the procedure in case of any emergency, they provided pre-programmed instructions to the robot.

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Position orientation equipment was also fit to the patient’s mouth so that the robot could move in the correct angles and depth. The robot was also programmed to adjust to unexpected movements from the patient.

While the patient received local anesthesia, she was conscious for the entire hour-long procedure which was for dental implant surgery.

The news outlet cites that this is the first time a robot was able to accomplish a procedure with no control or intervention from surgeons.

The feat has been the result of a collaboration for four years between the Fourth Military Medical University’s affiliated Stomatological Hospital, based in Xian, and the robot institute at Beihang University in Beijing.

The development of the robot is a response to the shortage of qualified dentists, as well as to address surgical errors that occur in mainland China, reports the Post.

With 400 million patients in China that need new teeth, only one million implants are performed, with some causing complications because of the medical staff’s incompetence. Niña V. Guno/JB

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