AI Pinpoints Kids’ Dental Growth Spurts
Researchers in South Korea have developed a new artificial-intelligence (AI) model designed to predict when children will experience major dental growth spurts—key moments in orthodontic treatment planning. Traditional methods of estimating growth peaks often rely on multiple radiographs or hand-wrist X-rays, but the newly developed model uses just a single lateral neck X-ray to make accurate forecasts.
The model, named ARNet-v2, was created by a team from Korea University Anam Hospital, KAIST, and the University of Ulsan. It was trained on over 5,700 radiographs and validated across four public medical-imaging datasets. Compared with earlier approaches, ARNet-v2 reduced prediction errors by up to 67% and halved the number of manual corrections required.
Clinically, identifying a child’s pubertal growth spurt is crucial for orthodontists. Interventions—such as functional appliances or growth-modifying treatments—are most effective when timed around this peak. ARNet-v2’s ability to extrapolate a patient’s growth phase from a single image means fewer radiographs, less radiation exposure, and lower costs—benefits especially meaningful for younger patients and busy practices.
The interactive design of the system allows the clinician to adjust one anatomical landmark and the model then refines related points automatically, speeding up workflow while maintaining accuracy. The authors suggest that the same technology could also be extended to other medical imaging fields (such as brain MRI, retinal scans or cardiology) and possibly to non-medical applications.
Despite the promise, the research team urges caution. They note that although the model performed strongly in controlled testing, real-world clinical conditions can vary: image quality, patient positioning, anatomical variation and demographic diversity might affect performance. As with all AI tools, human oversight remains vital. Orthodontists should validate AI predictions with clinical judgment and continue to monitor outcomes.
In summary, ARNet-v2 represents a significant step toward more efficient and accurate orthodontic growth assessment. It illustrates how AI can enhance—not replace—the clinician’s role by providing precise support at key treatment junctures. As digital workflows expand in dentistry, tools like this may soon become part of standard practice, provided they are adopted thoughtfully and ethically.
Original Article Info
Title: “AI model predicts dental growth spurts with fewer errors”
Published by: Oral Health Group, October 17 2025