Publication Type
PhD Dissertation
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
3-2026
Abstract
The gap existing between the uneven global distribution of oral health resources and the rising demand for diagnostic and therapeutic services requires accelerated technological advancements. The challenges of traditional telemedicine, characterized by network latency and a lack of trust between patients and clinicians, hindered the applicability of traditional telemedicine for scaling up complex dental care, especially for orthodontic care. Based on the specific case of the AI SMILE system, which incorporates Edge Computing and Generative AI (AI-Generated Content, AIGC), the current study aims to quantify the benefits of AI-assisted remote orthodontic care, as well as shed more light on the mechanisms of the specific technology at the micro level. Methodologically, the current study follows a Mixed Methods Research approach. Quantitatively, a Quasi-Experimental Design and a Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) model were formulated, relying on data from 50 clinics, 50 orthodontists, 100 patients, and 500 de-identified medical records. For the qualitative approach, Grounded Theory was adopted for the analysis of in-depth interviews. The findings of the current study are as follows:
1) Edge Computing technology reduced the average turnaround time for orthodontic treatment plans from 18.6 days to 2.08 days, a reduction of 88.8%, thus allowing for a shift from asynchronous to near-real-time collaboration. The visualization of Generative AI substantially reduced the level of asymmetry, with patient satisfaction rated at 8.30/10, which correlated well with technical transparency, thus creating a new explainability-trust contract.
2) Economic Value: The technological investment process showed that it was economically viable. AI saved 68% of doctors’ non-core working time, resulting in a 98.2% increase in per capita case processing volume by means of the Time Displacement Effect. The 5-year NPV for a single clinic was 4.125 million RMB, and the dynamic payback period was 0.42 years.
3) Social Value: The analysis of heterogeneity verified that the Knowledge Spillover Effect occurred in this study. The growth rate in revenue for clinics in lower-tier markets reached 36.8%, just surpassing that in tier-1 cities at 30.7%, and junior doctors gained more efficiency than experts in using AI, which proves that AI indeed drives the process of standardization and “downward diffusion” of high-quality medical resources.
According to these results, this study suggests a AI-Driven Telemedicine Dual Loop Model and provides policy suggestions in technological governance and reform in the payment system from a technological perspective based on technological equity to solve problems in the fair distribution of medical resources.
Keywords
Artificial Intelligence; Tele dentistry; Edge Computing; Generative AI; Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA); Knowledge Spillover; Value-based Healthcare
Degree Awarded
Doctor of Bus Admin (CKGSB)
Discipline
Business | Health Information Technology | Technology and Innovation
Supervisor(s)
FANG, Xin
First Page
1
Last Page
155
Publisher
Singapore Management University
City or Country
Singapore
Citation
LIU, Dapeng.
The impact of artificial intelligence on the benefits and economic value enhancement of remote oral healthcare. (2026). 1-155.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/etd_coll/872
Copyright Owner and License
Author
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.