The Next Frontier of Tobacco Cessation 

Tobacco use is still the primary source of preventable oral diseases, from gingival recession and tooth staining, to significant periodontal disease and oral cancers. In 2025, dental care is changing; more dentists and public health systems are utilizing digital tools to confront this age-old public health dilemma — aided by AI in dentistry. 

Artificial intelligence can no longer be limited towards diagnostics, or automating workflows; it is now assisting dental professionals in moving patients and families away from tobacco use with personalized care pathways, dependence and behaviour change tracking, and predictive relapse screening. This is a momentous change in the role dental care plays in public health. 

The Oral Health Toll of Tobacco 

Tobacco—smoked or chewed—negatively affects nearly every area of the mouth, and the literature supports its association with: 

● Aggressive periodontal disease 

● Increased plaque and tartar accumulation 

● Oral leucoplakia and erythroplakia (precancerous lesions) 

● Delayed healing after surgical procedures or tooth extraction 

● Increased dental implant failure 

The World Health Organization estimates that there are more than 350,000 oral cancer deaths each year, across the globe, associated with tobacco use. Many tobacco cessation programs exist, but they are often broad-based, underfunded, and limited in how they change behaviour long term. In this way, AI in dentistry offers a shift in this framework. AI will make cessation programs smarter, make them scalable, and will make them much more personalized.

How AI in Dentistry Supports Tobacco Cessation 

Here are six of the most impactful ways in which AI is assisting with quitting tobacco in 2025: 

1. Personalised Risk Profile 

AI tools are able to sort through thousands of data points including oral health records, social determinants of health, family histories, and tobacco use over time, to create a personalized risk profile. A dentist using something like scanO can illustrate a patient’s risk of developing oral cancers or gum disease in real-time. These risk scores are visceral, bringing a new level of immediacy to the repercussions of tobacco use. 

2. AI-driven Patient Engagement & Motivation 

Conversational AI, as well as chatbot systems are built into dental care apps, increasing care engagement. They motivate patients daily, encourage their quit goals, and provide behavioural nudges when cravings arise. AI has also given rise to behaviourally-designed tools within dentistry, which keep patients engaged in-between appointments- a key feature for ongoing habit change. 

3. Predictive Relapse Prevention 

Relapse is an issue with cessation. With AI algorithms built from millions of behavioural data points, predictive analytics can tell what a user may be more likely to relapse. Dentists can see, in clinical dashboards, when they should intervene early- either by altering nicotine replacement therapies, or by reminding them about reinitiating counselling just in time.

4. Oral Health Monitoring with Smart Devices 

Intraoral scanners, smart toothbrushes, and AI-powered image recognition software can help dentists recognize tobacco damage sooner than ever. When utilized with scanO’s AI-enhanced radiograph analysis, clinicians can monitor patients for changes in bone density, lesions, and inflammation in real time, reinforcing positive changes for cessation patients. 

5. Integrating AI into Dental Records and Treatment Pathways 

Through systems like scanO, oral health professionals can create complete treatment pathways for tobacco users, so nothing falls through the cracks—from scheduling follow-ups and ensuring tobacco cessation milestones are included in the patient’s oral health assessment. scanO greatly improves the standardization of documentation when populating clinical notes from radiographic data and leaves practitioners more time to counsel more effectively. 

Real-World Case: AI-Enabled Tobacco Cessation in Public Clinics 

In 2024, Spain’s National Dental Services launched an AI-enabled cessation program as part of their dental EHR. More than 2,000 smokers participated in the program over a six-month period. Participants who received AI chatbot support had quit rates of 41%, compared to the quit rates of 22% for the standard care control group. 

In a comparable pilot in rural India featuring an AI-enabled public dental college, using an AI-enabled mobile app that created personalized messages for smokeless tobacco users, users who received personalized content based on AI predictions had a 30% less relapse rate. 

Real-world programs like these demonstrate how AI in appreciation of Dentistry is a scalable option for tobacco control in higher- and lower-resourced contexts.

scanO: Driving the Future of Personalized Dental Care 

Central to this change is scanO, an innovative dental platform powered by AI, offering clinicians with deep analysis of radiographic images, real-time documentation, and patient-centered treatment planning. 

scanO is providing dentists with the ability to: 

● Identify tobacco device-related pathology early with AI-enabled image interpretation

● Automate patient education with risk visualizations and use 3D scans 

● Document case progress, ensuring nothing gets lost in the recall visits 

● Aspire cessation tracking as part of the dental record 

● Combining intelligent diagnostics with behavioural tracking scanO is not just helping people improve their oral health—it’s helping them quit tobacco for good. 

Breaking Down Barriers to AI Deployment 

Although AI has potential, meaningful barriers still exist for AI integration into dentistry for tobacco cessation: 

1.Privacy Concerns: The collection of behavioural and biometric information needs to be conducted while strictly adhering to the requirements of HIPAA or GDPR.

2. Algorithmic Bias: AI models need to be developed from sufficiently diverse data to ensure there is equitable treatment across populations and cultures. 

3. Technology Literacy: Not all patients (especially older adults) will be comfortable with technology related to AI tools or mobile health applications. 

Overcoming these barriers requires intentional implementation, inclusive design, and robust digital health policy development. 

The Future: Smarter Smiles, Healthier Lives 

As we move into 2025, one thing is certain: tobacco cessation has gone from a pamphlet in dentistry to a data-driven journey in health. Thanks to AI, dentists will be able to predict patient behaviour, personalize support, and solidify decisions that can create lifestyle changes for life. 

With solutions like scanO paving the way, AI is not only improving oral health, but it is ensuring the clinics will become partners in ending tobacco addiction once and for all. 

Key Takeaways 

● Tobacco continues to be a significant oral health threat, AI is improving how we intervene. 

● AI in dentistry will contribute to cessation through prediction, personalization, and tracking in real-time. 

● Programs like scanO are providing clinics with intelligent solutions to improve counselling, diagnosis, and patient engagement. 

● Success will depend on ethical AI, digital literacy, and patient-centered design.